mental health help that they need. One unique technology that has the potential to improve mood in older adults is exergames, or exercise video games. The objective of this sub- study (main study: Stimulation With Intricate Movements “SWIM” Study) was to explore older adults’ mood following an exergame intervention called “Bandit the Dolphin,” cre- ated by the Johns Hopkins KATA Studio. Researchers con- ducted three focus groups with 14 community-dwelling older adult participants who took part in the SWIM Study exergame intervention. The semi-structured focus groups were transcribed, coded, and analyzed using deductive and inductive techniques described by Ray Maietta’s “sort and sift, think and shift” method. Three themes related to playing “Bandit the Dolphin” and mood emerged. First, participants described their perceived association between activity and mood. Participants felt that both active and passive activities, “Bandit the Dolphin” and otherwise, improved their mood through the “fun” factor, and through feelings of achieve- ment. Second, the participants described that the competition and frustration of playing “Bandit the Dolphin” increased eventual feelings of achievement. Third, participants de- scribed how feelings of immersion, or being absorbed in the game, helped them forget their other life concerns. These fnd- ings provide a better understanding of older adults’ perceived relationship between an exergame intervention, “Bandit the Dolphin,” and short-term improved mood. Future health and engineering researchers should explore exergames as a poten- tial tool to improve the mental health of older adults. THE ABSENCE OF CLOSE SOCIAL NETWORK CONNECTIONS: A CASE STUDY INVESTIGATION IN SOCIAL ISOLATION Raeann LeBlanc, 1 and Rachel Walker, 2 1. University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, United States, 2. University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, United States Social isolation is an emerging phenomenon known to signifcantly infuence health outcomes and carries specifc risk in older age. As part of a larger study exploring the social network effects on health among persons age 65 and above, it was found that four cases from a larger sample (n=89) could not name any one from their social relationships sup- portive to them in managing their health while living with complex chronic health needs. In addressing these fndings, these cases, bounded spatially by individual social networks and temporally by the time of the study interview, served the basis for intensive analysis using multiple data points from in-depth interviews and survey measures. Measures in- cluded descriptive data (social networks, demographics) and measures of health (SF-12), and social support (MOS-SSS). Each participant case identifed as female gender and single, three lived alone, had a high burden of chronic conditions and poor health. All had recent hospitalizations (1 or more within the past year). The structures of their social networks varied in type of relationship roles and size. Social support was perceived overall as low. This study offers a specifc con- tribution to research on social connection/isolation. This phenomenon is relative to specifc contexts. Findings empha- size that social isolation can be specifc to certain aspects of identity and poorer health in older age. Additional research on the functions and qualities of social networks, in addition to the structure, are important to specify in future research and knowledge development for practice assessment to de- termine social connection and isolation. THE MENTAL HEALTH OF OLDER VETERANS AGES 58-99 YEARS: 2016-2017 VE-HEROES FINDINGS Yasmin Cypel, 1 Paula Schnurr, 2 Robert Bossarte, 3 William Culpepper, 1 Aaron Schneiderman, 1 Fatema Akhtar, 1 Sybil Morley, 4 and Victoria Davey, 1 1. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, District of Columbia, United States, 2. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, White River Junction, Vermont, United States, 3. West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, United States, 4. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Canandaigua, New York, United States Mental health and its correlates were examined in U.S. Vietnam War veterans approximately ffty years after the War. The 2016-2017 VE-HEROeS (Vietnam Era Health Retrospective Observational Study) was a mail survey of the health of U.S. Vietnam War veterans who served be- tween February 28, 1961 and May 7, 1975 and matched US non-veteran controls. ‘Veteran status’ represented wartime experience for three cohorts: ‘theater’ veterans with service in Vietnam, Cambodia, or Laos, non-theater veterans with service elsewhere, and non-veterans with no military ser- vice. Veterans and non-veterans, aged 58-99 years, were randomly selected from a veteran sampling frame (n=9.87 million) derived from the Department of Veterans Affairs’ USVETS dataset and a commercial address database, respect- ively. Questionnaires were mailed to 42,393 veterans and 6,885 non-veterans; the response rate for veterans was 45% (n=18,866) and 67% (n=4,530) for non-veterans. Weighted bivariate and multivariable analyses were conducted to examine poor overall mental health, via the SF-8TM Mental Health Component Summary score (MCS), and other mental health measures by veteran status and socioeconomic, health, and other military characteristics. Nearly 50% of all theater veterans reported poor overall mental health (MCS<50). Prevalence of mental health measures was greatest for the- ater veterans and successively decreased for non-theater vet- erans and non-veterans. Key correlates signifcantly (P< 0.02) associated with poor MCS included veteran status, race/eth- nicity, income, physical health, health perception, trauma, distress, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (Primary Care DSM-5 PTSD screen), and drug use. Results indicate a high burden of poor mental health among those who served in-theater. THE PREVALENCE OF PRIOR MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE USE PROBLEMS IN OLDER PERSONS AND THEIR FAMILIES Todd Becker, 1 John Cagle, 1 and Paul Sacco, 2 1. University of Maryland, Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 2. University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, United States Although research has shown mental health and sub- stance use problems (MHSUPs) are fairly prevalent in older GSA 2020 Annual Scientific Meeting 170 Innovation in Aging, 2020, Vol. 4, No. S1 Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/innovateage/article/4/Supplement_1/170/6035389 by guest on 28 January 2022