Mental Health and Social Connectedness Across the Adult Lifespan in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Gregory, Madeline A.; Legg, Nicole K.; Senay, Zachary; Barden, Jamie-Lee; Phiri, Peter; Rathod, Shanaya; Turner, Brianna J.; Paterson, Theone

doi:10.1017/s0714980821000477

Cited by 9 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 58 publications

(122 reference statements)

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“…A national survey from Cigna reported that all ages may experience social isolation and loneliness [7]. The findings also corresponded to the prior literature showing high loneliness and/isolation and stress among older adults [3,29], as well as among young adults [8,9] during COVID-19. In addition, our study found that the Bigs experienced slightly higher levels of loneliness than the Minis.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

“…For example, Generation Z (age [18][19][20][21][22] has been reported as the loneliest generation [7]. COVID-19 also significantly increased young adults' loneliness or decreased their social connectedness [8,9], which negatively influenced their mental health [10]. One study found that loneliness, rather than financial worries or concerns about the health impacts of COVID-19, was the single most important driver of reported emotional or mental health difficulties among young adults [11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Big and Mini: A Promising Intergenerational Program for Social Connections

Fields

Chen

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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Introduction: To help older adults cope with loneliness during COVID-19, a weekly, telephone-based intergenerational program called “Big and Mini” was created in April 2020 to link young and older adults together. As part of an evaluation of Big and Mini, a survey with both close and open-ended questions was sent to participants. Methods: A total of 63 Bigs and 53 Minis completed the survey. Their stress compared to before COVID-19, loneliness, life satisfaction, intergenerational closeness, and satisfaction with the program were measured for participants. Descriptive, bivariate correlation and conventional content analyses were conducted. Results: On average, Bigs and Minis had participated in the program for 3.73 and 3.49 months, respectively. Approximately half of the Bigs (47.6%) and Minis (52.8%) felt the same stress level compared to before COVID-19. A few participants felt “less stressed” compared to before COVID -9 (14.3 and 7.5%, respectively, for Bigs and Minis). All participants reported medium levels of loneliness, high levels of satisfaction with life, satisfaction with the program, and intergenerational closeness. Content analysis suggested that the reasons to join or expectations of the program were friendship, mutually beneficial intergenerational connections, and coping with loneliness. Conclusions: The Big and Mini program offers a promising approach with mutual benefits for participants. Strategies to improve the program and implications for intergenerational programs are presented.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Big and Mini: A Promising Intergenerational Program for Social Connections

Fields

Chen

et al. 2022

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Our sample was less older adult and predominantly middle-aged, which may explain why there was no significant change in subjective social connectedness in our study. Our findings are consistent with previous studies in that age and educational attainment are strongly correlated with depression symptoms ( 62 , 63 ), and age is also associated with anxiety symptoms ( 63 ). We found that anxiety and depression scores before quarantine negatively predicted changes in anxiety and depression scores from quarantine measures, possibly because people with more anxiety and depression symptoms before isolation would show a decrease in anxiety and depression during quarantine ( 64 ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

The combined impact of social networks and connectedness on anxiety, stress, and depression during COVID-19 quarantine: a retrospective observational study

Luo,

Tang

et al. 2023

Front. Public Health

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IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic and associated quarantine measures have precipitated a surge in mental health disorders, particularly depression and anxiety. Government policies and restrictions on physical activity have contributed to this phenomenon, as well as diminished subjective social connectedness and exacerbated objective social isolation. As two dimensions of social isolation, it is worth noting that subjectively perceived social connectedness serves as a protective factor for mental health, whereas the decline in the size of objectively evaluated social networks poses a significant risk. However, research investigating the combined influence of these two dimensions remains limited.MethodsThis study used an online survey to collect data to investigate the effects of objective social connectedness and objective social networks on anxiety, stress, and depression during COVID-19 quarantine. A total of 485 participants were analyzed using statistical methods, including paired t-test, Pearson correlation analysis, linear regression, cluster analysis, ANOVA, and moderated mediated.ResultsThe study found that anxiety and depression scores increased during the quarantine, with age, education, and social connectedness scores associated with the increase. Pre-quarantine anxiety and depression levels were strongly correlated with mental health status during quarantine. Cluster analysis, respectively, revealed three clusters for those without increasing anxiety and depression scores. The study also found that objective social network influences the impact of subjective social connectedness on pre-quarantine mental health, which in turn affects anxiety and depression levels during quarantine.ConclusionThe study identified that quarantine increased anxiety and depression, with age being protective, and education and subjective social connectedness as risk factors. The study also emphasizes the comprehensive impact of objective and subjective social isolation. Although individuals perceive the same degree of social connectedness, those with smaller social networks are more prone to developing symptoms of anxiety and depression, which are also more likely to worsen during quarantine.

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“…Although this investigation was not designed to test the consequences of social distancing, this was a time when social interactions were salient. For example, a study using one large Canadian sample reported that loneliness experienced amidst the pandemic was associated with anxiety and depression in all age groups (Gregory et al, 2021), although adults 55 years of age and older were the least likely to report worsening mental health symptoms. Loneliness, depression symptoms, and dampened well-being resulting from lockdowns were also often a function of the extent to which people lost access to social relationships (e.g., Birditt, Turkelson, Fingerman, Polenick, & Oya, 2021;Krendl & Perry, 2021).…”

Section: The Current Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Modelling Age-Varying Associations among Group Memberships, Neighborhood Connectedness, and Well-Being

Evans,

Li,

Benson

2023

Can. J. Aging

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Individuals who maintain group memberships in their community tend to experience improved well-being relative to those who participate in few or no groups. There are, however, few investigations targeting variability in the correlates of group membership across the lifespan. The present examination probed age-related variability in the association between group memberships and subjective connectedness as well as well-being. Participants included 3,940 (mean age = 45.61 years, standard deviation [SD] = 15.62) Canadian and American respondents who completed an online survey during August of 2020 (i.e., amidst the COVID-19 pandemic). Time-varying effects modelling was used to estimate coefficients for group membership at each age within the sample. Memberships in social groups positively predicted connectedness, and this association was strongest in middle-to-older age; a similar association was also evident when predicting well-being. Connectedness was also a positive predictor of well-being throughout most ages. These findings build on emerging research conveying how group memberships have significance for people currently in middle-to-older age.

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Mental Health and Social Connectedness Across the Adult Lifespan in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Cited by 9 publications

References 58 publications

Big and Mini: A Promising Intergenerational Program for Social Connections

Big and Mini: A Promising Intergenerational Program for Social Connections

The combined impact of social networks and connectedness on anxiety, stress, and depression during COVID-19 quarantine: a retrospective observational study

Modelling Age-Varying Associations among Group Memberships, Neighborhood Connectedness, and Well-Being

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