Secular- and longitudinal trends in mental health among older adults in Norway: The Tromsø Study 2001-2016.

Age-adjusted proportions of mental distress among participants aged 60-84 years declined overall from 9.8% to 6.6% between 2001 and 2016.

• Data from the Tromsø Study across three waves (2001, 2007-2008, 2015-2016) were analyzed.
• Secular trend analyses involved 12,884 individuals aged 60-84 years with 19,631 observations.
• Mental distress was defined as HSCL-10 scores ≥ 1.85, a predictor for clinically diagnosed mental disorders.
• Overall prevalence declined from 9.8% in 2001 to 6.6% in 2016.

Women showed a larger absolute decline in mental distress prevalence than men over the study period.

• Among women, mental distress prevalence declined from 13.7% in 2001 to 8.9% in 2016.
• Among men, mental distress prevalence declined from 5.0% in 2001 to 4.0% in 2016.
• Women exhibited stronger secular trends than men, narrowing sex differences in mental health.
• Secular trends revealed lower average symptom scores in 2016 than in 2001, particularly in anxiety symptoms and among women.

Secular trends in mental health improvement were driven particularly by reductions in anxiety symptoms.

• The paper states that 'Mental health trends appear to be driven by reduced anxiety scores.'
• Depression and anxiety symptoms were measured using the HSCL-10.
• Reductions were noted particularly in anxiety symptoms and among women.
• Linear mixed regression and multiple imputation were used for analysis.

The youngest birth cohorts experienced the largest longitudinal reductions in HSCL-10 scores.

• Longitudinal trend analyses included a subset of 8,766 individuals born between 1917 and 1947.
• Among women born 1942-1947, the HSCL-10 score reduction was -0.08 (95% CI: -0.11, -0.04).
• Among men born 1942-1947, the HSCL-10 score reduction was -0.04 (95% CI: -0.08, -0.01).
• The birth cohort 1942-1947 showed the largest longitudinal reductions compared to older cohorts.

The largest increases in HSCL-10 scores occurred during 2001-2008 among the oldest birth cohorts.

• Among women, the largest increase in HSCL-10 score occurred during 2001-2008 among those born 1917-1921.
• Among men, the largest increase in HSCL-10 score occurred during 2001-2008 among those born between 1922-1931.
• This contrasts with the overall declining trend, indicating heterogeneity by birth cohort.
• Longitudinal analyses covered individuals born between 1917 and 1947.