COVID-19 worries and mental health: the moderating effect of age

Wilson, Jenna; Lee, Jerin; Shook, Natalie J.

doi:10.1080/13607863.2020.1856778

Cited by 114 publications

(116 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…We had expected older adults, often with a higher incidence of chronic conditions, to report experiencing greater levels of psychological distress, such as vulnerability and anxiety, than young-to-middle aged adults given their increased risk of morbidity and mortality associated with contracting COVID-19 [ 20 ]. The results of our study are similar to recent reports out of Canada [ 21 ] and the United States [ 22 ], where older age seemingly moderates the impact of stress, anxiety, and depression. There are several hypotheses that may contribute to the buffered psychological impact associated with older age, including emotional resilience [ 23 , 24 ] and a shift from active to passive emotions [ 25 , 26 ].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Associations of the Initial COVID-19 Lockdown on Self-Reported Happiness and Worry about Developing Loneliness: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Rural, Regional, and Urban Australian Communities

Isaac

Cheng

Townsin

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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Australia adopted hard lockdown measures to eliminate community transmission of COVID-19. Lockdown imposes periods of social isolation that contributes to increased levels of stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, and worry. We examined whether lockdowns have similar psychosocial associations across rural and urban areas and whether associations existed between happiness and worry of loneliness in the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. Data were collected using the “COVID-19 Living Survey” between 13 and 20 May 2020 by BehaviourWorks Australia at the Monash Sustainable Development Institute. The mean self-reported feeling of happiness and anxiousness (N = 1593), on a 10-point Likert scale with 0 being least happy or highly anxious, was 6.5 (SD = 2.4) and 3.9 (2.9), respectively. Factors associated with happiness were older age and having a postgraduate education. Participants worried about becoming lonely also exhibited reduced happiness (estimate = −1.58, 95%CI = −1.84–−1.32) and higher anxiousness (2.22, 1.93–2.51) scores, and these conditions remained associated after adjusting for demographics. Interestingly, worry about loneliness was greater in rural areas than in urban communities. The negative impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on rural youth and those less-educated was evident. Participants in rural Australia who were worried about becoming lonely were reportedly less happy than participants in major cities. This dataset provides a better understanding of factors that influence psychological well-being and quality of life in the Australian population and helps to determine whether happiness may be an associative factor that could mitigate self-feelings of anxiety and worry about loneliness.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Associations of the Initial COVID-19 Lockdown on Self-Reported Happiness and Worry about Developing Loneliness: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Rural, Regional, and Urban Australian Communities

Isaac

Cheng

Townsin

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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“…Low levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms were again reported by an online survey using convenience sampling in Israel (low mean PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores) [ 40 ], as well as by an online survey of a national representative sample in the United States, stating that the majority of older people (over 70%) reported none to minimal depressive and anxiety symptoms [ 41 ]. Lastly, according to a cross-sectional, computer-assisted telephone interview conducted during the national lockdown in Germany (random selection of a representative sample of adults over the age of 65), mean Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI-18) score for depression, anxiety, somatisation and global psychological distress did not indicate worse mental wellbeing during the COVID-19 lockdown, based on normative values and estimates reported before the pandemic [ 42 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Taking these limitations into consideration, cross-sectional studies comparing older with younger adults indicated that older adults over the age of 60 reported the least severe depressive and anxiety symptoms [ 33 , 41 ]. Severity of depression, anxiety and stress decreased with increasing age [ 34 ], the pandemic-related psychological burden was less severe for older adults [ 35 ], age was negatively related with post-traumatic stress symptoms, as well as loneliness [ 36 ], older adults displayed less psychological distress [ 37 ], and were less psychologically vulnerable [ 38 , 39 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1). Among the included studies, 10 were cross-sectional online surveys during the acute phase of the pandemic [33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42], five studies compared data collected prior with the data collected during the pandemic [43][44][45][46][47], two studies reported baseline data from ongoing longitudinal studies [48,49] and one study reported longitudinal data [50] (Table 1).…”

Section: Characteristics Of Included Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A review on the COVID-19-related psychological impact on older adults: vulnerable or not?

et al. 2021

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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.

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“…Perhaps the increased resilience found to be present among older adults while isolated during the pandemic [65] led to a decreased need for psychological support from their companion animals. During early COVID-19 months, older age was associated with better mental health scores [16,22]. In other words, older adults may not have needed as much support from their cat or dog as younger guardians, who perhaps had yet to develop the levels of resilience and coping strategies that come with time and life experience.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Psychosocial Influence of Companion Animals on Positive and Negative Affect during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Kogan

Currin‐McCulloch

Bussolari

et al. 2021

Animals

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The initial months of COVID-19 forced people to quickly adapt to dramatic changes to their daily lives. As a result of the inevitable decrease in access to social support available during the lockdown phase of COVID-19, countless individuals relied upon their companion dogs and cats. Given the strong connections people often have with their companion animals, this study hypothesized that companion dogs and cats would positively impact guardians’ mental health. Anonymous, cross-sectional online surveys were used to test this premise. A total of 5061 responses, primarily females (89%) from the United States (84%), were analyzed. Results suggest that companion animals played a critical role in helping reduce feelings of depression, anxiety, isolation, and loneliness for a majority of pet guardians. Companion animals also helped increase guardians’ experiences of self-compassion, ability to maintain a regular schedule, feel a sense of purpose and meaning, and cope with uncertainty. This was most pronounced for women under the age of 40 who were highly bonded to their companion animal. In conclusion, our study suggests that a companion dog or cat can buffer the effects of extreme stress and social isolation as witnessed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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COVID-19 worries and mental health: the moderating effect of age

Cited by 114 publications

References 36 publications

Associations of the Initial COVID-19 Lockdown on Self-Reported Happiness and Worry about Developing Loneliness: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Rural, Regional, and Urban Australian Communities

Associations of the Initial COVID-19 Lockdown on Self-Reported Happiness and Worry about Developing Loneliness: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Rural, Regional, and Urban Australian Communities

A review on the COVID-19-related psychological impact on older adults: vulnerable or not?

The Psychosocial Influence of Companion Animals on Positive and Negative Affect during the COVID-19 Pandemic

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