Successful Aging in US Veterans with Mental Disorders: Results From the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study.

OBJECTIVES

To determine the prevalence and correlates of successful aging in US veterans who screened positive for current major depressive disorder (MDD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and/or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

METHODS

In a nationally representative sample of 475 US military veterans (mean age=58.3, SD=14.7; range 24-92) who screened positive for MDD, GAD, and/or PTSD, multivariable logistic regression and relative importance analyses were conducted to identify independent correlates of successful aging.

RESULTS

One-in-five (20.6%) veterans rated themselves as aging successfully. Resilience and gratitude were the strongest positive correlates of successful aging, accounting for 38.1% and 32.4% of the explained variance, respectively. Greater somatic symptoms were the strongest negative correlate, accounting for 11.2% of the explained variance. Higher gratitude moderated the negative association between somatic symptoms and successful aging.

CONCLUSIONS

Positive psychiatry interventions targeting psychosocial factors such as resilience and gratitude may help promote successful aging among US veterans with mental disorders.