Older adults
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Projects investigating emotional health later in life

With an ageing population in Australia and internationally, the number of older adults with anxiety, depression and other emotional health conditions is set to multiply.

The Macquarie University Lifespan Health and Wellbeing Centre is conducting a range of projects to better understand and support the emotional health of older adults.

The changes in depression and anxiety with age

Full title: Changes in mechanisms underlying distress in later life: A longitudinal study (40-70 years old)

Funded by: Medical Research Future Fund Emerging Leadership Fellowship awarded to Viviana Wuthrich

Are you between the ages of 40 to 70?

Help us understand age related changes in psychological wellbeing.

You are invited to participate in a study to understand how depression and anxiety symptoms change as we age. We want to understand the reason why the prevalence of anxiety and depression in the population drops off around the age of 55 years.

What does participation involve?

You will be asked to complete a survey on social relationships that will take 30 – 45 minutes to complete, which will ask about your mood (depression and anxiety), your physical health, psychological well-being, and social relationships. You do not need to experience any symptoms to participate. You may also be contacted by our team 12 months after initial survey completion and every year thereafter, for up to five years, to complete follow-up surveys.

You can go into a draw to win one of three $200 vouchers after participating in the survey.

If you are interested in finding out more about this study, please contact olderadults.research@mq.edu.au.

Complete the online survey to participate in this study.

Understanding social relationships' impact on brain health

Full title: Understanding the features of social relationships that influence cognition: A longitudinal study (60 years and older)

Funded by: Medical Research Future Fund Emerging Leadership Fellowship awarded to Viviana Wuthrich

Are you over the age of 60?

Help us understand the features of social relationships that influence cognition.

You are invited to participate in a study of understanding how aspects of social relationships play a role in our brain health. You will be asked about demographics, your participation in your relationships with others, and your mood (depression and anxiety), as well as complete some cognitive tasks.

What does participation involve?

We will screen your eligibility for this study over a phone call, which will involve completing a short telephone measure of cognition. You will then be asked to complete an online/paper survey on social relationships that will take up to 30 minutes to complete. After that, you will participate in a 30 minutes cognitive task session, either in person at the Centre for Emotional Health clinic located at Macquarie University, or over Zoom/Teams, where you will complete some activities based on attention and memory. You will be contacted 12 months later to complete a follow up survey and cognitive task session again. Following completion of each testing session, we will provide you with a $10 gift voucher.

If you are interested in finding out more about this study, please contact olderadults.research@mq.edu.au.

Social and emotional wellbeing in older adults

Funded by: Medical Research Future Fund Emerging Leadership Fellowship awarded to Viviana Wuthrich

This study is seeking to understand the characteristics associated with the development and maintenance of worry and low mood in older adults. We are examining this in older adults aged 65 and over who don't have symptoms of worry and low mood.

If you decide to participate, you will be asked to complete a face-to-face or telehealth assessments at the Emotional Health Clinic. You will complete different tasks that look at your memory and cognition, and complete a clinical interview about any worries or low mood. You would also complete the survey and the assessment again after 12 weeks as part of a three month follow up.

If you are interested in participating in this study, please send an email to us so that a member of the research team can contact you with more information about the study and to screen your eligibility to participate.

Examining the automatic thoughts underlying loneliness in older adults

Funded by: Medical Research Future Fund Emerging Leadership Fellowship awarded to Viviana Wuthrich

This study aims to examine the types of thoughts people have when they are feeling down, anxious, or lonely. The results from this study will help inform psychological interventions aimed at reducing loneliness in older adults.​

Ageing Wisely Online

Funded by: NHMRC and Beyond Blue

This study aims to examine the efficacy of an internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy (iCBT) program for older adults with anxiety and/or depression (called Ageing Wisely Online). Participants will either receive immediate access to the treatment, or delayed access to the treatment after six months. The Ageing Wisely Online program consists of 10 modules, and is supported by brief 15-minute weekly therapist phone calls.

Who can participate?

  • This program is for older adults (aged 65 years or older) who experience levels of anxiety and/or low mood that are interfering in their lives.
  • You must have regular access to a computer or tablet to access the treatment program.

Learn more about this study.

CONTACT-GAD: therapy for treatment resistant anxiety

Full title: A randomised controlled trial of tailored acceptance and commitment therapy for older people with treatment resistant generalised anxiety disorder (CONTACT-GAD)

Funded by: NHMRC-NIHR Collaborative Research Grant

This trial will provide the first clinical and cost-effectiveness evaluation of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for treatment-resistant Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) in older adults.

The randomised control trial will examine ACT when routinely applied in older adult mental health services compared to treatment as usual.

The results from this trial will inform clinical guidelines and the routine management of GAD in older adults in both the United Kingdom and Australia.

With the ageing of Australia’s population, more older people will require evidence-based interventions for the management of chronic anxiety in the future.

  • Viviana Wuthrich
  • Rebecca Gould
  • Robert Howard
  • Marc Serfaty
  • Christopher Graham
  • Ken Laidlaw
  • David White
  • Mike Bradburn
  • Allan Wailoo
  • Gill Livingston
  • Kate Walters
  • Philip Wilkinson
  • David Ekers
  • Lucy Musson

Contact: viviana.wuthrich@mq.edu.au

Fear learning: can we reduce fear and prevent it from returning?

Full title: Fear learning in late-life anxiety disorders: can we reduce fear and prevent it from returning?

Funded by: Macquarie University

Around 1.5 million older Australians are predicted to have an anxiety disorder by 2050 – yet little is known about the learning mechanisms that underlie late-life anxiety.

This project will involve experimental research that examines:

  • the impact of older age and anxiety disorders on fear learning and recovery
  • biases in attention and memory toward threat-based stimuli.

This research will drive future treatment research that will use this knowledge of learning and cognitive mechanisms to improve the efficacy and durability of treatment for late-life anxiety.

Contact: carly.johnco@mq.edu.au

Understanding and treating OCD in older adults

Funded by: International OCD Foundation

The global number of older people with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is set to more than double over the next 30 years, yet this has been a largely neglected area of mental healthcare.

There is promising evidence that exposure with response prevention (ERP) treatment may be effective, however a range of age-related changes in physical, social and cognitive functioning may warrant the development of age-appropriate treatment protocols.

This project involves questionnaires and interviews with clients, supporters and clinicians to examine:

  • the nature and impact of late-life OCD
  • the phenomenology of accommodation by supporters (eg participation in OCD rituals, facilitation of avoidance).

This information will inform the development of age-appropriate treatment protocols for late-life OCD.

Learn more about this study.

Become a participant.

Contact: carly.johnco@mq.edu.au

Ageing Wisely for Chinese-speaking older adults

Full title: Ageing Wisely for Chinese-speaking older adults: Culturally and linguistically appropriate adaptation and pilot study.

Funded by: Macquarie University Lifespan Health and Wellbeing Research Centre

Macquarie University’s Ageing Wisely program treats anxiety and depression in older adults. This new project aims to adapt this program for older Chinese-speaking populations.

Currently there are no evidence-based psychological interventions that target anxiety and depression in older Chinese-speaking adults. Ageing Wisely is one of the few evidence-based English-language cognitive behavioural therapy programs for treating late-life anxiety and depression, and it may be a good candidate to adapt for older Chinese-speaking populations.

This project brings together a multidisciplinary team of experts in older adult mental health, multilingualism, translation and interpreting to adapt Ageing Wisely for Chinese-speaking older adults with depression and anxiety, with involvement from older Chinese-speaking consumers to optimise culturally and linguistically appropriate interventions.

Contact: theodora.leung@mq.edu.au or +61 (2) 9850 9882

Reducing fear of falling in older adults

Full title: Using translational neuroscience to optimise treatment for older adults with anxiety disorders

Funded by: National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is the most effective psychological treatment for late-life anxiety, however specific treatment skills may be affected by age-related changes in cognition.

This project aims to examine whether we can translate advances in experimental neuroscience (optimising inhibitory learning mechanisms) to improve clinical outcomes for older adults with anxiety disorders, and how cognitive ability affects the efficacy and durability of treatment.

Older adults (65 years or older) with an excessive fear of falling will be randomised to one of three CBT treatments. This research will identify whether simple modifications to treatment can improve anxiety outcomes for older adults.

Contact: carly.johnco@mq.edu.au

Long-term remission and relapse after CBT for anxiety and depression

Funded by: National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)

Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment for anxiety and depression in older adults, with improvements lasting between six months and a year after the end of treatment. However it is unclear how long past the first year these improvements last.

This project is a naturalistic follow-up to examine the long-term (10 year) impact of CBT on late-life anxiety and depression in a group of individuals who received treatment as part of a previous randomised control trial, and compare this to outcomes after an active discussion control group.

Contact: carly.johnco@mq.edu.au

Stepped care effectiveness trial for ageing adults

Funded by: NHMRC and Beyond Blue

We are evaluating whether evidence-based treatment models for older adults (65 years and over) with anxiety and/or depression can be delivered through existing health services using a Stepped Care model.

  • Step one comprises low intensity treatment. The adults receive treatment at home via a workbook or an internet program, supported by brief telephone calls from a clinician.
  • Step two is a face-to-face higher intensity treatment option.

We compare this Stepped Care model to standard treatment for older adults with symptoms of anxiety and depression across five existing mental health services representing community (urban/regional) and private mental health care organisations.

Learn more about this study.

Contact: viviana.wuthrich@mq.edu.au

Improving mental health and social participation outcomes

Full title: Improving mental health and social participation outcomes in older adults with depression and anxiety

Funded by: NHMRC and Beyond Blue

In this NHMRC-Beyond Blue co-funded study we are examining whether there is a difference in the benefits of two psychological treatment programs aimed at reducing depression and anxiety in older adults. Adults aged 65 years and above who have anxiety and/or depression can participate in this free research trial.

Learn more about the Ageing Wisely study.

Contact: spaa@mq.edu.au

Evidence-based interventions for older adults in inpatient services

Full title: Developing evidence-based interventions for older adults with depression and anxiety in inpatient services: a pilot trial

Funded by: Macquarie University 2021 Research Acceleration Scheme

Acute anxiety and depression in older adults are managed in inpatient settings. Psychotropics are first-line management – including benzodiazepines, which place older adults at increased risk of falls and cognitive decline.

Despite the effectiveness of psychological interventions for older adults with anxiety and depression in older community samples, no evidence-based psychological interventions exist for inpatient settings. Due to alterations in orientation, variable attendance and admission durations, psychological interventions need to be purpose-built.

This project aims to develop an inpatient program, and evaluate its initial acceptability, feasibility and effectiveness leading to a manuscript and pilot data for grant applications for a clinical trial.

Contact: jessamine.chen@mq.edu.au