Loneliness and its correlates among Bangladeshi older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic

Mistry, Sabuj Kanti; Ali, Arm Mehrab; Yadav, Uday Narayan; Huda, Md. Nazmul; Ghimire, Saruna; Saha, Manika; Sarwar, Sneha; Harris, Mark F

doi:10.1038/s41598-022-19376-1

Cited by 5 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…Nine studies indicated that the prevalence of Si/L was less common in rural areas, compared to urban areas, with a primary focus on loneliness. These studies were conducted in five different countries, including Bangladesh [ 41 , 42 ], Canada [ 43 , 44 ], France [ 45 ], Serbia [ 46 ], the United States (US) [ 47 ], and the United Kingdom (UK) [ 48 , 49 ]. Several studies determined rural areas to be a protective factor against Si/L, and identified women, those with financial challenges and additional chronic health issues, as groups with the highest prevalence or risk of loneliness [ 47 – 49 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One study by Mistry et al (2022a) conducted two periods of data collection in 2020 and 2021. In this study, the prevalence of loneliness was found to have dropped significantly from 2020 to 2021, which suggests some adaptation to the pandemic occurred in older, rural dwelling Bangladeshi adults [ 41 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the included studies provided conflicting accounts of those in rural places. Studies conducted in the Global South [ 41 , 42 , 58 – 61 ] depicted the rural environment as an exacerbating factor for loneliness, those studies conducted in the Global North found the rural environment to be protective or insignificant. Finally, technology was an important tool used by older adults to minimise the effects of Si/L.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Social isolation and loneliness among older adults living in rural areas during the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping review

Pickering,

Wister,

O’Dea

et al. 2023

BMC Geriatr

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Background The causes and consequences of social isolation and loneliness of older people living in rural contexts during the COVID-19 pandemic were systematically reviewed to describe patterns, causes and consequences. Methods Using the Arksey and O’Malley (2005) scoping review method, searches were conducted between March and December 2022, 1013 articles were screened and 29 were identified for data extraction. Results Findings were summarized using thematic analysis separated into four major themes: prevalence of social isolation and loneliness; rural-only research; comparative urban-rural research; and technological and other interventions. Core factors for each of these themes describe the experiences of older people during the COVID-19 pandemic and related lockdowns. We observed that there are interrelationships and some contradictory findings among the themes. Conclusions Social isolation and loneliness are associated with a wide variety of health problems and challenges, highlighting the need for further research. This scoping review systematically identified several important insights into existing knowledge from the experiences of older people living in rural areas during the COVID-19 pandemic, while pointing to pressing knowledge and policy gaps that can be addressed in future research.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Social isolation and loneliness among older adults living in rural areas during the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping review

Pickering,

Wister,

O’Dea

et al. 2023

BMC Geriatr

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“…36 Despite the importance of social connections in effectively protecting and promoting mental health, 51 the lack of social interaction and family visits due to the lockdowns and social restrictions posed by the Government of Bangladesh to curve the spread out of coronavirus impacted mental health, especially of the older population. 17,52,53 As social isolation increases, feelings of loneliness also increase, 54 which is strongly linked to depression. 46 The presence of chronic conditions was associated (aOR: 1.34, 95% CI 1.06-1.69) with higher depression among our study participants.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Change in prevalence over time and factors associated with depression among Bangladeshi older adults during theCOVID‐19 pandemic

et al. 2022

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Background Globally, the COVID‐19 pandemic seriously affected both physical and mental health conditions. This study aims to assess changes in the prevalence of depression among older adults during the COVID‐19 pandemic in Bangladesh and explore the correlates of depression in pooled data. Methods This study followed a repeated cross‐sectional design and was conducted through telephone interviews on two successive occasions during the COVID‐19 pandemic (October 2020 and September 2021) among 2077 (1032 in 2020‐survey and 1045 in 2021‐survey) older Bangladeshi adults aged 60 years and above. Depression was measured using the 15‐item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS‐15). The binary logistic regression model was used to identify the factors associated with depression in pooled data. Results A significant increase in the prevalence of depression was noted in the 2021 survey compared to the 2020 survey (47.2% versus 40.3%; adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 1.40, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.11–1.75). Depression was significantly higher among participants without a partner (aOR 1.92, 95% CI 1.45–2.53), with a monthly family income of <5000 BDT (aOR: 2.65, 95% CI 1.82–3.86) or 5000–10 000 BDT (aOR: 1.30, 95% CI 1.03–1.65), living alone (aOR 2.24, 95% CI 1.40–3.61), feeling isolated (aOR 3.15, 95% CI 2.49–3.98), with poor memory/concentration (aOR 2.02, 95% CI 1.58–2.57), with non‐communicable chronic conditions (aOR 1.34, 95% CI 1.06–1.69), overwhelmed by COVID‐19 (aOR 1.54, 95% CI 1.18–2.00), having difficulty earning (aOR 1.49, 95% CI 1.15–1.92) or obtaining food (aOR 1.56, 95% CI 1.17–2.09) during COVID‐19 pandemic, communicating less frequently (aOR 1.35, 95% CI 1.07–1.70) and needing extra care (aOR 2.28, 95% CI 1.75–2.96) during the pandemic. Conclusions Policymakers and public health practitioners should provide immediate mental health support initiatives for this vulnerable population during the COVID‐19 pandemic and beyond. Policymakers should also invest in creating safe places to practise mindful eating, exercise, or other refuelling activities as a means of preventing and managing depression.

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“…The participants were classified as lonely if they answered ‘some of the time’ or ‘often’ to any item [ 42 ]. The scale was previously used among Bangladeshi population [ 43 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence and determinants of self-reported functional status among older adults residing in the largest refugee camp of the world

et al. 2023

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Background The older adults of refugee camps might be vulnerable to exhibiting limited functional abilities because of the limited resources available to create a supportive environment for older population in the camps. This study aims to explore the prevalence and determinants of self-reported functional status among the older adults residing in the Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted on 864 older adults aged 60 years and above living in five selected sub-camps of Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews of the participants between November-December 2021. Functional status was measured using the Barthel Index. Information on participants’ sociodemographic characteristics, self-reported chronic diseases and lifestyle characteristics were also collected. A multiple logistic regression model was used to assess the factors associated with self-reported functional abilities among the participants. Results The overall percentage of people having limited self-reported functional ability was 26.5% (male: 22.6% and female: 31.5%) with inability most found in grooming (33.2%), bathing (31.8%), stair using (13.2%) and mobility (10.7%). In the final adjusted model, having age of 80 years or more (aOR = 2.01,95% CI: 1.08,3.75), being female (aOR = 1.44, 95% CI: 1.04,2.0), having low memory or concentration (aOR = 1.83, 95% CI: 1.30,2.56), loneliness (aOR = 2.89, 95% CI:1.74,4.80) and living with aid alone (aOR = 2.89, 95% CI: 1.74,4.80) were found to be associated with self-reported limited functional ability. Conclusion The findings of this study highlight the need for attention from policymakers and public health practitioners on addressing functional limitations among older adults residing in the Rohingya refugee camp. Our findings emphasize the need for the development of comprehensive interventions that can address the wider unmet needs (e.g., ensuring family/caregiver support, engaging in social and physical activities, providing nutritional support packages, etc.) to improve the health and well-being of older Rohingya adults.

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Loneliness and its correlates among Bangladeshi older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic

Cited by 5 publications

References 67 publications

Social isolation and loneliness among older adults living in rural areas during the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping review

Social isolation and loneliness among older adults living in rural areas during the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping review

Change in prevalence over time and factors associated with depression among Bangladeshi older adults during theCOVID‐19 pandemic

Prevalence and determinants of self-reported functional status among older adults residing in the largest refugee camp of the world

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