Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic imposed a psychological burden on people worldwide, including fear and anxiety. Older adults are considered more vulnerable during public health emergency crises. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the psychological response of older adults during the acute phase of the pandemic in Greece. Method: This cross-sectional study was part of a larger three-day online survey. A total of 103 participants over the age of 60 fulfilled inclusion criteria. The survey included sociodemographic questions and six psychometric scales: the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S), the Brief Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) depression scale, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7), the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS), the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS-12), and the De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale (JGLS). Results: A significant proportion of the participants reported moderate to severe depressive symptoms (81.6%), moderate to severe anxiety symptoms (84.5%), as well as disrupted sleep (37.9%). Women reported significantly higher levels of COVID-19related fear, more severe depressive symptoms and sleep disturbances, as well as higher levels of intolerance of uncertainty. Participants living alone showed higher levels of loneliness. Intolerance of uncertainty was shown to modulate levels of loneliness. Conclusions: During the quarantine, attention was promptly drawn upon the risks related with older people's loneliness. Studies identifying factors that may contribute to loneliness during a public health emergency facilitate the implementation of supportive interventions. Preparedness to address and manage older people's loneliness may limit this deleterious emotional response during the pandemic, as well as at the post-COVID-19 phase.

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Background COVID-19 is a novel event of the twenty-first century. Therefore, contemporary research is required to determine the current pandemic's psychological impact on older populations. Soon after the COVID-19 outbreak, several narrative reviews and guidelines were released to support older adult's psychological wellbeing. However, a lack of data from original studies was reported until May 2020. Aim To identify studies published from May 2020 until January 2021 that quantitatively assessed the mental health impact of COVID-19 on older adults using validated psychometric tools. Method A comprehensive literature search of original research articles was conducted using specific terms. The screening procedure was conducted stepwise. Results Among the 18 included studies, cross-sectional online surveys indicated that older adults were less psychologically distressed than younger ones. A longitudinal study revealed that COVID-19 did not have a major impact on loneliness and satisfaction with life. On the contrary, studies comparing pre-with peri-pandemic data revealed that older adults experienced more severe depressive/anxiety/stress symptoms and loneliness during the pandemic. Several studies reported though only subclinical symptoms, as well as low loneliness levels during the pandemic. Conclusions Research studies suggested that older age may buffer against the COVID-19-related impact on mental health. Despite evidence against generalised perceptions of vulnerability, older adults' ability to adapt to adversity may be uneven, depending on cultural, social, economic and other individual factors. Taken together, the impact, moreover the long-term impact of COVID-19, is expected to vary across countries and older subpopulations, and remains to be evaluated by prospective, longitudinal studies.

Objectives Living during the COVID‐19 pandemic is characterized by the emergence of great uncertainty surrounding multiple aspects of daily life. This study explored the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and depression, as well as the potential mediation effect of COVID‐19‐related fear. Design and methods A cross‐sectional study was conducted through an online survey from 10 April until 13 April 2020, three weeks after a national lockdown had been imposed in Greece. The convenience sample used in this study consisted of 2,827 adults. Participants voluntarily provided sociodemographic data and completed the following scales: the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS‐12), the Fear of COVID‐19 Scale (FCV‐19S), and the Brief Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ‐9) Depression Scale. Results Participants appeared to be moderately depressed [M = 14.75, SD = 4.52]. There was a significant indirect effect of IU to depressive symptoms ((.058), CI (0.051–0.066)). FCV‐19S was tested as a mediator in the relationship between IUS‐12 (independent variable) and PHQ‐9 (dependent variable). Partial mediation of fear of COVID‐19 was supported ((.54) (.41) = 13, CI (0.051–0.066), Sobel z‐value = 14.93). Conclusions Depressive symptomatology affected study participants at a moderate level. IU was shown to be a significant predictor of depressive symptomatology with higher levels of IU being associated with more severe depressive symptoms. Fear of COVID‐19 partially mediated this association. The mediation effect may be explained by the uncertainty around COVID‐19‐related health issues, which are reflected in the FCV‐19S and cause worry and/or anxiety. Uncertainty related with other factors, such as the impact on the economy and education, not assessed by the FCV‐19S, may explain part of the relationship between IU and depressive symptoms that is not mediated by FCV‐19S. Practitioner Points Intolerance of uncertainty is related to depressive symptomatology, and fear of COVID‐19 explains part of the relation. Fear of COVID‐19 indicates worry and anxiety related to health issues. Psychotherapeutic interventions enhancing individuals’ capacity to endure uncertainty could be beneficial. Provision of simple and clear information by the authorities should be a priority issue.

Summary COVID-19 and the related quarantine disrupted young adults’ academic and professional life, daily routine and socio-emotional well-being. This cross-sectional study focused on the emotional and behavioural responses of a young adult population during the COVID-19-related quarantine in April 2020, in Greece. The study was conducted through an online survey. A total of 1559 young adults, aged 18−30 years, completed Steele’s Social Responsibility Motivation Scale and the De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale, and answered questions about compliance with instructions, quarantine-related behaviours and coping strategies. According to the results, participants displayed a relatively high sense of social responsibility (M = 16.09, SD = 2.13) and a trend towards moderate feeling of loneliness (M = 2.65, SD = 1.62); young women reported significantly higher levels of loneliness than men. The majority complied with instructions often (46.4%) or always (44.8%). Significantly more women created a new social media account and used the social media longer than 5 h/day, compared with men. Resorting to religion, practicing sports and sharing thoughts and feelings about COVID-19 with others predicted higher levels of social responsibility; humour, practicing sports and sharing thoughts and feelings about COVID-19 with others predicted lower levels of loneliness. Conclusively, COVID-19 is expected to have a significant psychological impact on young adults. Currently, Greece is going through the second quarantine period. This study raises awareness about loneliness in young adults during the COVID-19-related quarantine and highlights the importance of developing online programmes, attractive to younger people, to nurture adaptive coping strategies against loneliness.

The outbreak of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV2) has resulted in a significant disruption of almost all aspects of everyday life. Several governments around the world have adopted emergency actions to reduce spreading of the virus, which included suspension of non-essential activities and the implementation of social distancing practices. In our case, governmental measures have resulted in the suspension of our experimental protocol for testing the effectiveness of robot-based treatment of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) compared to conventional human (therapist)-based treatment. These circumstances led to an investigation of the potential of tele-consulting. This paper describes alternatives to implement synchronous and asynchronous therapeutic sessions for children already participating in the protocol, in order to reduce the negative effects of the strict cessation of the in-person sessions. The usefulness of our approach was assessed by recording the children’s and the parent’s satisfaction via questionnaires. In addition, we compare satisfaction between the synchronous and asynchronous sessions. The results show that the approach has been very satisfactory and useful for both children and parents, and that this was especially the case for the robot-based material.

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