Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Original Communication
  • Published:

Positive and negative mood in the elderly: the ZENITH study

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 59, pages S22–S25 (2005)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective:

To assess the quality of positive and negative affect (mood) in an ageing European sample.

Background:

Mood quality has important implications for both physical and mental wellbeing. Poor quality moods are associated with deficits in the diverse areas of cognitive function, health, and social relationships. The ageing process presents a number of potential challenges to successful mood regulation that could have wider implications.

Design and participants:

The current study examines the quality of positive and negative affect in 387 healthy participants from three European countries. Moods were measured four times a day for 4–7 d with the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) mood scales. Measures of zinc (Zn) status were taken also.

Setting:

Two centres concentrated on 55–70 yr olds (Coleraine, N.Ireland, n=93 and Clermont-Ferrand, France, n=95), and two centres concentrated on 70–87 yr olds (Rome, Italy, n=108, and Grenoble, France, n=91).

Results:

Positive affect scores for the centre in Rome were significantly (P<0.01) lower than for the other three centres, and the Grenoble centre had significantly (P<0.05) higher scores on negative affect than the other three centres. Mood was not related to measures of zinc status (all Ps>0.05).

Conclusions:

The two centres with the oldest participants showed deficits in mood quality that may have implications for broader well-being.

Sponsorship:

The ZENITH study is supported by the European Commission ‘Quality of Life and Management of Living Resources’ Fifth Framework Programme, Contract no. QLK1-CT-2001-00168.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Andriollo-Sanchez M, Hininger-Favier I, Meunier N, Toti E, Zaccaria M, Brandollini-Bunlon M, Polito A, O’Connor JM, Ferry M, Coudray C & Roussel AM (2005): Zinc intake and status in middle-aged and older European subjects. The Zenith study. Eur. J. Clin. Nutr. 59, S37–S41.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hill RD, van Boxtel MPJ, Ponds R, Houx PJ & Jolles J (2005): Positive affect and its relationship to free recall memory performance in a sample of older Dutch adults from the Maastricht aging study. Int. J. Geriatr. Psychiatry 20, 429–435.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maes M, Vandoolaeghe E, Neels H, Demedts P, Wauters A, Meltzer HY, Altamura C & Desnyder R (1997): Lower serum zinc in major depression is a sensitive marker. Biol. Psyc. 42, 349–358.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McConville C & Cooper C (1997): The temporal stability of mood variability. Person Individ. Diff. 23, 161–164.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mineka S, Watson D & Clark LA (1998): Comorbidity of anxiety and unipolar mood disorders. Ann. Rev. Psychol. 49, 377–412.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nowak G, Siwek M, Dudek D, Zieba A & Pilc A (2003): Effects of zinc supplementation on antidepressant therapy in unipolar depression: A preliminary placebo-controlled study. Pol. J. Pharmacol. 55, 1143–1147.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ostir GV, Ottenbacher KJ & Markides KS (2004): Onset of frailty in older adults and the protective role of positive affect. Psychol. Aging 19, 402–408.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pettit JW, Kline JP, Gencoz T, Gencoz F & Joiner TE (2001): Are happy people healthier? The specific role of positive affect in predicting self-reported health symptoms. J. Res. Pers. 35, 521–536.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Polito A, Meunier N, Andriollo-Sanchez M, Catasta G, Azzini E, Simpson EEA, O’Connor JM, Roussel AM, Ferry M, Coudray C & Maiani G (2005): Screening and recruitment procedure of late-middle aged and older subjects. Eur. J. Clin. Nutr. 59, S8–S12.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Robins W, Trzesniewski KH, Tracy JL, Gosling SD & Potter J (2002): Global self-esteem across the life-span. Psychol. Aging 17, 423–434.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Terracciano A, McCrae RR & Costa PT (2003): Factorial and construct validity of the Italian Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). Eur. J. Psychol. Assess. 19, 131–141.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Watson D & Clark LA (1994): The PANAS-X: manual for the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule – expanded form. IA,USA: The University of Iowa.

    Google Scholar 

  • Watson D, Clark LA & Tellegen A (1988): Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: the PANAS scales. J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 54, 1063–1070.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Westerbotn M, Agüero-Torres H, Fastbom J & Hillerås P (2005): A population-based study on well-being in the very old: the role of cardiovascular diseases and drugs. Arch. Gerontol. Geriat. 40, 287–297.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychology/Northern Ireland Centre for Food and Health (NICHE), University of Ulster, Northern Ireland

    C McConville, E E A Simpson, G Rae, B J Stewart-Knox & J M O'Connor

  2. National Institute for Food and Nutrition Research, Human Nutrition Unit, Via Ardeatina 546, Roma, 00178, Italy

    A Polito

  3. Laboratoire de Nutrition Vieillissement et Maladies Cardiovasculaires, Faculté de Pharmacie, Université de Joseph Fourier, Domaine de la Merci, La Tronche, France

    M Andriollo-Sanchez & A M Roussel

  4. Centre de Recherche en Nutrition Humaine d’Auvergne, Unité Maladies Métaboliques et Micro-nutriments, INRA, Centre de Recherche de Clermont-Ferrand/Theix, 63122 Saint Gènes Champanelle, France

    N Meunier & C Coudray

  5. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Rome La Sapienza, Via dei Sabelli 108, Roma, 00185, Italy

    M Cuzzolaro

Authors
  1. C McConville
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. E E A Simpson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. G Rae
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. A Polito
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. M Andriollo-Sanchez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. N Meunier
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. B J Stewart-Knox
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. J M O'Connor
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. A M Roussel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. M Cuzzolaro
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. C Coudray
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to C McConville.

Additional information

Guarantor: C McConville.

Contributors: CM took the lead in writing the report, and carried out the statistical analysis. EEAS, BSK and GR helped develop the methodology and interpret the results. LS collected data in NI and prepared all data for analysis. JOC supervised the NI data collection. MA and NM were responsible for collecting the French data. AMR and CC supervised the collection of the French data and contributed to the protocol of the study and the management of the data collection. AP is responsible for INRAN, and MC is the Italian supervisor for psychological tests. All the authors made a critical revision of the original draft.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

McConville, C., Simpson, E., Rae, G. et al. Positive and negative mood in the elderly: the ZENITH study. Eur J Clin Nutr 59 (Suppl 2), S22–S25 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602293

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602293

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links