A Study of Older Adults’ Mental Health across 33 Countries during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Despite older adults’ extremely high vulnerability to COVID-19 complications and death, few studies have examined how personal characteristics and the COVID-19 pandemic have impacted the mental health of older adults at the global level. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among demographics, COVID-19 life impacts, and depression and anxiety in adults aged 60 and older from 33 countries. A sample of 823 older adults aged 60–94 and residing in 33 countries completed a 10-minute online survey following recruitment from mailing lists and social media. Being separated from and having conflicts with loved ones predicted both anxiety and depression, as did residing in a country with higher income. Getting medical treatment for severe symptoms of COVID-19 and having decreased work responsibilities predicted depression, but adjustment to working from home and younger age predicted both depression and anxiety. Participants from Europe and Central Asia reported higher depression than those from all other regions and higher anxiety than those from Latin America and the Caribbean. The COVID-19 pandemic has had serious deleterious effects on the mental health of older adults worldwide. The current findings have direct implications for mental health services that may be delivered to older adults to help facilitate healthy psychological adjustment.

Increased incident rates of antidepressant use during the COVID-19 pandemic: interrupted time-series analysis of a nationally representative sample

“…Several explanations may be postulated including the drop in medical consultations in this age group during the pandemic for all health problems, including mental health (e.g. Hirschtritt, Slama, Sterling, Olfson, & Iturralde, 2021 ; ONS, 2021c ), despite the significant increase in mental health problems reported by older individuals (Tyler et al, 2021 ). For individuals aged 65 years or older, difficulties accessing telehealth may act as a substantial barrier (Lam, Lu, Shi, & Covinsky, 2020 ) because of unfamiliarity with the relevant technology.…”

Seeking bridge symptoms of anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbance among the elderly during the lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic—A network approach

“…However, the COVID-19 is a challenge for elderly adults, with an infection rate of 25.3% ( 4 ). As well as the general population which increased smoking, video playing and drinking frequency ( 5 ) and health care workers who were beset by suicidal ideation ( 6 ), elderly adults were victims of the COVID-19 suffering from anxiety, depression and poor sleep quality ( 7 , 8 ). Moreover, due to city lockdown, diagnosis of mental disorders or cognitive function decline was delayed ( 9 ).…”

Predictors of Anxiety, Stress, and Concern of COVID-19 Infection in Older Adults During the First and the Second Waves of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Slovakia

“…Although the current research was a part of a broader Slovak study involving a general adult sample as well as an older adult sample (Bavo ˇlár et al, 2021), the results presented in this paper cannot be fully compared with the general adult sample as some variables were measured with different instruments. However, the current findings can be compared with similar research studies conducted on a cohort of older adults in different countries during the COVID-19 pandemic (Ahorsu et al, 2020;Bergman et al, 2020;Bidzan-Bluma et al, 2020;Carriedo et al, 2020;García-Portilla et al, 2020;Grossman et al, 2021;Han et al, 2021;Jordan et al, 2021;Parlapani et al, 2020;Reppas-Rindlisbacher et al, 2021;Robb et al, 2020;Shrira et al, 2020;Tyler et al, 2021;Zhou et al, 2021).…”

“…Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of research focuses on the mental health of older adults is increasing. However, these studies have mostly looked at the first wave of the pandemic ( Ahorsu et al, 2020 ; Bergman et al, 2020 ; Bidzan-Bluma et al, 2020 ; Carriedo et al, 2020 ; García-Portilla et al, 2020 ; Grossman et al, 2021 ; Jordan et al, 2021 ; Parlapani et al, 2020 ; Robb et al, 2020 ; Shrira et al, 2020 ; Tyler et al, 2021 ). The present research contributes to the existing knowledge about the mental health of older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic by analyzing the role of socio-demographic and psychological characteristics in predicting levels of anxiety, stress, and concern of COVID-19 infection during both the first and the second waves of the pandemic.…”