Unpacking the Associations between Traumatic Events and Depression among Chinese Elderly: Two Dimensions of Aging Attitudes as Mediators and Moderators

Traumatic events have been considered significant risk factors for older adults’mental health,but the mediating mechanism and moderating effect of aging attitudes that underlie this relationship have yet been completely investigated.The attitudes of the elderly toward aging can be divided into two closely related but conceptually different dimensions,including positive and negative.Positive aging attitudes refer to optimistic feelings and experiences about aging,whereas negative attitudes toward aging are related to detrimental thoughts and sensa-tions experienced about the increasing age.The purpose of this study is to explore the mediating and moderating roles of these two dimensions of aging attitudes between traumatic events and depression of the elderly in China.Data for this research come from the China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey(CLASS)of 2014.A nationally representative sample consisting of 11,511 Chinese older adults aged 60 and above was obtained through a stra-tified,multi-stage probability sampling method.The results revealed that the association between traumatic events and depression was mediated and moderated by positive and negative aging attitudes,controlling for gen-der,age,spouse,educational level,and ethnicity.Significance,implications,and limitations were discussed.

How do We Remember Traumatic Events such as Massacre Through Architecture?

Architecture is becoming an extraordinary method to save memories.This paper aims to show the relationship between traumatic events and architecture.This paper indicates that the positive side of memorial architecture from traumatic incidents on strengthening national identity,cultivate patriotism in the educational field,and becoming the city's icon.It also presents the building architecture drawbacks on emotion and mentality of people and occupies much city's area.Indeed,giving depth research on typical cases to analyse the influence for people.The findings clearly show that building is common use in remembering traumatic events.

Astrocytes in Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Although posttraumatic stress disorder(PTSD)is on the rise,traumatic events and their consequences are often hidden or minimized by patients for reasons linked to PTSD itself.Traumatic experiences can be broadly classified into mental stress(MS)and traumatic brain injury(TBI),but the cellular mechanisms of MS-or TBI-induced PTSD remain unknown.Recent evidence has shown that the morphological remodeling of astrocytes accompanies and arguably contributes to fearful memories and stressrelated disorders.In this review,we summarize the roles of astrocytes in the pathogenesis of MS-PTSD and TBIPTSD.Astrocytes synthesize and secrete neurotrophic,proand anti-inflammatory factors and regulate the microenvironment of the nervous tissue through metabolic pathways,ionostatic control,and homeostatic clearance of neurotransmitters.Stress or trauma-associated impairment of these vital astrocytic functions contribute to the pathophysiological evolution of PTSD and may present therapeutic targets.

Post-traumatic stress disorder:a psychiatric disorder requiring urgent attention

Post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD)is a severe and heterogenous psychiatric disorder that was first defined as a mental disorder in 1980.Currently,the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition(DSM-5)and the International Classification of Diseases 11th Edition(ICD-11)offer the most widely accepted diagnostic guidelines for PTSD.In both diagnostic categories,experiencing a traumatic event(TE)is the necessary criterion for diagnosing PTSD.The TEs described in the DSM-5 include actual or threatened death,serious injury,sexual violence,and other extreme stressors,either directly or indirectly.More than 70%of adults worldwide are exposed to a TE at least once in their lifetime,and approximately 10%of individuals develop PTSD after experiencing a TE.The important features of PTSD are intrusion or re-experiencing fear memories,pervasive sense of threat,active avoidance,hyperarousal symptoms,and negative alterations of cognition and mood.Individuals with PTSD have high comorbidities with other psychiatric diseases,including major depressive disorder,generalized anxiety disorder,and substance use disorder.Multiple lines of evidence suggest that the pathophysiology of PTSD is complex,involving abnormal neural circuits,molecular mechanisms,and genetic mechanisms.A combination of both psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy is used to treat PTSD,but has limited efficacy in patients with refractory PTSD.Because of the high prevalence,heavy burden,and limited treatments,PTSD is a psychiatric disorder that requires urgent attention.In this review,we summarize and discuss the diagnosis,prevalence,TEs,pathophysiology,and treatments of PTSD and draw attention to its prevention.