Specific PA states, particularly feeling enthusiastic and feeling active, show consistent associations with depressive symptoms in older adulthood and appear largely environmentally influenced, highlighting discrete emotional experiences as potential targets for non-pharmacological strategies.
Key Findings
Results
Overall positive affect was predominantly influenced by environmental factors, whereas depressive symptoms showed a stronger genetic contribution.
ACE (additive genetic, common environmental, and unique environmental) models were applied to estimate variance components.
Overall positive affect was predominantly influenced by environmental factors (53.1%).
Depressive symptoms showed a stronger genetic contribution (59.5%).
Sample consisted of 540 older twins with mean age 71 years, 65% female, from the Older Australian Twins Study.
Results
Enthusiasm was consistently identified as the most central positive affect component across twin pairs and timepoints in network analyses.
Bayesian Gaussian Graphical Models were used to characterise affective networks.
This finding was consistent across monozygotic and dizygotic twin pairs.
Data spanned three waves across four years.
Results
Enthusiasm and feeling active showed the strongest negative associations with depressive symptoms among all positive affect components.
Partial correlations between these components and depressive symptoms ranged from -0.12 to -0.18.
Positive affect was assessed using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS).
Depressive symptoms were measured using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15).
These associations were consistent across twin pairs and timepoints.
Results
Enthusiasm and feeling active showed distinct temporal patterns in their associations with depressive symptoms over the four-year follow-up.
Enthusiasm showed stronger concurrent associations with depressive symptoms.
Feeling active demonstrated more sustained associations over the four-year follow-up.
Hierarchical regression analyses were used to test longitudinal associations between baseline PA components and subsequent depressive symptoms.
These patterns were consistent across monozygotic and dizygotic twin pairs.
Results
The associations between specific positive affect states and depressive symptoms appear largely environmentally influenced.
ACE modelling was used to decompose variance into additive genetic, common environmental, and unique environmental components.
The environmental predominance of overall positive affect (53.1%) contrasts with the stronger genetic contribution to depressive symptoms (59.5%).
The consistency of findings across monozygotic and dizygotic twin pairs supports the environmental nature of these associations.
The authors conclude these findings highlight targets for 'low-risk, non-pharmacological strategies aimed at supporting psychological well-being in aging populations.'
Hopkins E, Leman P, Cervin M, Numbers K, Brodaty H, Sachdev P, et al.. (2026). Network of positive affect and depression in older adults: Twin study.. Journal of psychiatric research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2026.02.050