CORE--PSYCHOSOCIAL

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Psychosocial factors play on important role in the etiology and course of psychiatric symptoms and syndromes in the elderly. Their effects are both direct and interactive with either factors affecting the mental health of the elderly. Psychosocial factors include a broad range of variables that characterize the individual's location in the life course, their social world, socio-economic and cultural status, and their experiences and perceptions as they move through major late-life transitions, such as medically related disabilities. It is the view of the investigators that virtually all studies of late-life mood disorders, even those focused on biological etiologies and the effects of pharmacological interventions require assessment of the psychosocial characteristics of study participants and their social contexts. Thus, one of the main factions of the Psychosocial Core is to provide measurement tools and conceptual guidance in the design and implementation of studies on late-life affective disorders. The second goal of the Psychosocial Core is to explore specific questions and stimulate research on domains where psychosocial factors are thought to play a primary role ion the etiology and course of late-life mood disorders.