Compliance to Recommendations and Mental Health Consequences among Elderly in Sweden during the Initial Phase of the COVID-19 Pandemic—A Cross Sectional Online Survey

Abstract

Background (1): In the wake of COVID-19, elderly people have been labelled a risk group. As the pandemic is a new crisis in Sweden, we have no knowledge on how this group perceives the information and recommendations being provided. Complying with these recommendations entails physical distancing and, for some, isolation at home. Methods (2): From 16 April to 15 May 2020, we conducted an online survey targeting people aged 70 and older in Sweden (n = 1854). Results (3): A vast majority of the participants find the information and recommendations clear and reliable. Half of the participants report staying at home all the time, and up to half report decreased mental health in terms of, e.g., feeling depressed, having sleeping problems and that isolation makes them feel bad. However, elderly people are not a homogenous group, and there are gender and demographic differences. (4) Conclusion: At this point, we do not know the full extent of the ongoing pandemic, either in terms of duration or in terms of losses. The Swedish model for action on COVID-19 has not included a lock down. However, elderly people seem to comply with recommendations and practice social distancing to a high degree. This might lead to decreased mental health and long-term effects.

COVID-19 collateral damage: psychological distress and behavioral changes among older adults during the first outbreak in Stockholm, Sweden

“…A fair share of the sample reported worrying about themselves and their loved ones being affected by COVID-19. Interestingly, the latter seems to be of more concern, a finding that has been replicated in another Swedish survey [14]. Loneliness and feelings of stress were also prevalent in our sample.…”

“…While several studies have examined the distribution of COVID-19 mortality among Swedish older adults by sex, socioeconomic and household factors [11][12][13], little is known on the collateral damage of these restrictions. To the best of our knowledge, only one study has examined the mental health consequences of the Swedish strategy on the elderly [14], and no study has looked into other dimensions such as psychological wellbeing and/or behavioral changes. Thus, the aims of this study are to explore different dimensions of the collateral damage linked to COVID-19 during the first epidemic outbreak in an older population of central Stockholm, as well as to characterize the sociodemographic profile of those with the highest susceptibility to this damage.…”

International Perspectives on COVID-19 Communication Ecologies: Public Health Agencies’ Online Communication in Italy, Sweden, and the United States

“…Conversely, in Sweden, 96% of people between the ages 65 and 74 years, and 77% of people between the ages 75 and 84 years, use the internet ( Statistiska centralbyrån, 2020 ). In addition, half of all people 70 years and older used the internet to retrieve information on the COVID-19 pandemic regularly, possibly resulting in a greater need to communicate with them through web-based tools ( Gustavsson & Beckman, 2020 ). Another explanation may be found in the Swedish strategy, which strongly focused on the protection of elderly people as a core vulnerable group, accompanied with repeated and specific recommendations for elderly people to self-isolate.…”

Mobility and COVID-19 mortality across Scandinavia: A modeling study

“…This may mean SI data better reflects actual levels of community mobility than CMR data. As SI represents the severity of government restrictions, this value is likely to better reflect true community activity in societies where adherence to such government restrictions is high, as is the case in Scandinavia [ 24 ]. The utility of SI in other countries, where such adherence is not as strong, would be of great interest.…”