ORCID Profile
0000-0002-9957-1916
Current Organisation
UNSW Sydney
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Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 15-12-2022
DOI: 10.3389/FPSYT.2022.1052009
Abstract: The recognition of dementia as a multifactorial disorder encourages the exploration of new pathways to understand its origins. Social health might play a role in cognitive decline and dementia, but conceptual clarity is lacking and this hinders investigation of associations and mechanisms. The objective is to develop a conceptual framework for social health to advance conceptual clarity in future studies. We use the following steps: underpinning for concept advancement, concept advancement by the development of a conceptual model, and exploration of its potential feasibility. An iterative consensus-based process was used within the international multidisciplinary SHARED project. Underpinning of the concept drew from a synthesis of theoretical, conceptual and epidemiological work, and resulted in a definition of social health as wellbeing that relies on capacities both of the in idual and the social environment. Consequently, domains in the conceptual framework are on both the in idual (e.g., social participation) and the social environmental levels (e.g., social network). We hypothesize that social health acts as a driver for use of cognitive reserve which can then slow cognitive impairment or maintain cognitive functioning. The feasibility of the conceptual framework is demonstrated in its practical use in identifying and structuring of social health markers within the SHARED project. The conceptual framework provides guidance for future research and facilitates identification of modifiable risk and protective factors, which may in turn shape new avenues for preventive interventions. We highlight the paradigm of social health in dementia as a priority for dementia research.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 08-09-2022
Abstract: The heterogeneous and multi-factorial nature of dementia requires the consideration of all health aspects when predicting the risk of its development and planning strategies for its prevention. This systematic review of reviews provides a comprehensive synthesis of those factors associated with cognition in the context of dementia, identifying the role of social aspects and evidencing knowledge gaps in this area of research. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses from 2009–2021 were searched for within Medline, PsycINFO, CINAHL Complete, Cochrane, and Epistemonikos. Reviewers independently screened, reviewed, and assessed the records, following the PRISMA-2020 guidelines. From 314 included studies, 624 cognitive-related factors were identified, most of them risk factors (61.2%), mainly belonging to the group of ‘somatic comorbidities’ (cardiovascular disease and diabetes) and ‘genetic predispositions’. The protective factors (20%) were mainly related to lifestyle, pointing to the Mediterranean diet, regular physical activity, and cognitively stimulating activities. Social factors constituted 9.6% of all identified factors. Research on biological and medical factors dominates the reviewed literature. Greater social support and frequent contact may confer some protection against cognitive decline and dementia by delaying its onset or reducing the overall risk however, overall, our findings are inconsistent. Further research is needed in the fields of lifestyle, psychology, social health, and the protective factors against cognitive decline and dementia.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 24-05-2021
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 20-06-2022
DOI: 10.1186/S12877-022-02955-2
Abstract: Dementia is a multi-factorial condition rather than a natural and inevitable consequence of ageing. Some factors related to dementia have been studied much more extensively than others. To gain an overview of known or suspected influential factors is a prerequisite to design studies that aim to identify causal relationships and interactions between factors. This article aims to develop a visual model that a) identifies factors related to cognitive decline that signal the onset of dementia, b) structures them by different domains and c) reflects on and visualizes the possible causal links and interactions between these factors based on expert input using a causal loop diagram. We used a mixed-method, step-wise approach: 1. A systematic literature review on factors related to cognitive decline 2. A group model building (GMB) workshop with experts from different disciplines 3. Structured discussions within the group of researchers. The results were continuously synthesized and graphically transformed into a causal loop diagram. The causal loop diagram comprises 73 factors that were structured into six domains: physical (medical) factors (23), social health factors (21), psychological factors (14), environmental factors (5), demographic factors (5) and lifestyle factors (3). 57 factors were identified in the systematic literature review, additionally 16 factors, mostly of the social health cluster, were identified during the GMB session and the feedback rounds. The causal loop diagram offers a comprehensive visualisation of factors related to cognitive decline and their interactions. It supports the generation of hypotheses on causal relationships and interactions of factors within and between domains.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.JAD.2017.12.081
Abstract: Evidence that repetitive negative thinking (RNT) is a shared feature of a number of disorders has prompted the need for transdiagnostic self-report instruments that is, measures of RNT that can be administered to in iduals irrespective of their diagnosis. The Repetitive Thinking Questionnaire (RTQ McEvoy et al., 2010) was developed to meet this need, and its psychometric properties and capacity to predict psychopathology have been tested in undergraduate and clinically anxious s les. We administered the RTQ to currently depressed (n = 29), formerly depressed (n = 61) and never-depressed (n = 93) community participants. The RTQ demonstrated good psychometric properties, with excellent internal consistency for the RNT subscale (α=.93) and good convergent validity with measures of negative affect and psychopathology symptoms (rs= .47-.61). In addition, and in accord with our predictions, currently depressed and recovered depressed participants reported more RNT than never-depressed participants, but currently and recovered depressed participants did not differ. In addition, RNT scores explained additional variance in depression and anxiety symptoms, after controlling for gender, age, neuroticism, state negative affect, and intolerance of uncertainty. Our s le was drawn from the community but participants were not treatment-seeking, and we employed a cross-sectional design. Taken together with previous experimental and longitudinal studies, our results support the utility of addressing RNT in the treatment and prevention of relapse in depression. Moreover, these data confirm the utility of the RTQ as a brief, transdiagnostic self-report measure of RNT.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.JAD.2018.02.072
Abstract: Repetitive negative thinking (RNT) is a cognitive process that is repetitive, passive, relatively uncontrollable, and focused on negative content, and is elevated in emotional disorders including depression and anxiety disorders. Repetitive positive thinking is associated with bipolar disorder symptoms. The unique contributions of positive versus negative repetitive thinking to emotional symptoms are unknown. The first aim of this study was to use confirmatory factor analyses to evaluate the psychometrics of two transdiagnostic measures of RNT, the Repetitive Thinking Questionnaire (RTQ-10) and Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire (PTQ), and a measure of repetitive positive thinking, the Responses to Positive Affect (RPA) Questionnaire. The second aim was to determine incremental predictive utility of these measures. All measures were administered to a s le of 2088 undergraduate students from the Netherlands (n = 992), Australia (n = 698), and America (n = 398). Unidimensional, bifactor, and three-factor models were supported for the RTQ-10, PTQ, and RPA, respectively. A common factor measured by all PTQ items explained most variance in PTQ scores suggesting that this measure is essentially unidimensional. The RNT factor of the RTQ-10 demonstrated the strongest predictive utility, although the PTQ was also uniquely although weakly associated with anxiety, depression, and mania symptoms. The RPA d ening factor uniquely predicted anxiety and depression symptoms, suggesting that this scale is a separable process to RNT as measured by the RTQ-10 and PTQ. Findings were cross-sectional and need to be replicated in clinical s les. Transdiagnostic measures of RNT are essentially unidimensional, whereas RPA is multidimensional. RNT and RPA have unique predictive utility.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 05-2021
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2017
DOI: 10.1016/J.CPR.2017.01.007
Abstract: Rumination and worry have recently been grouped under the broader transdiagnostic construct of repetitive thought (Watkins, 2008). The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of scales used to assess repetitive thinking across a broad range of contexts: depression, anxiety, trauma, stress, illness, interpersonal difficulties, positive affect, and so forth. We also include scales developed or adapted for children and adolescents. In the extant literature, measures of repetitive thinking generally show small-to-moderate correlations with measures of psychopathology. This review highlights problems with the content validity of existing instruments for ex le, confounds between repetitive thought and symptomatology, metacognitive beliefs, and affect. This review also builds on previous reviews by including newer transdiagnostic measures of repetitive thinking. We hope that this review will help to expand our understanding of repetitive thinking beyond the mood and anxiety disorders, and suggest ways forward in the measurement of repetitive thinking in in iduals with comorbid conditions.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2022
Publisher: Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Date: 31-12-2020
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2021
No related grants have been discovered for Suraj Samtani.