“You Feel Very Isolated”: Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic on Caregiver Social Connections

Abstract

One in five individuals in the United States provides care and support to ill, disabled, and aging family members in the home, leading to feelings of burden, stress, and poor health and well-being. Social support represents an important buffer for family caregivers that allows them to feel less isolated and more positive about their caregiving role. This sequential mixed-methods study aimed to examine the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on family caregivers’ social connections. Eighty-two caregivers completed a web-based survey which comprised of fixed-choice and open-ended questions. Survey data showed that the majority of caregivers (83%) reported an increase in stress and feeling lonely (77%) during the pandemic. Qualitative interviews with a subsample of caregivers ( n=27) further explored social connections during the pandemic. Three themes echoed the quantitative findings and centered around defining boundaries, intentionality in social interactions, and loss of social resources. Although caregivers were often strained by new or increased caregiving demands, many experienced positive changes such as feeling a deeper connection with the care-recipient. Findings from this study highlight the need for further consideration of the impact of social isolation on the well-being of caregivers.

Exploring the recovery journey of COVID-19 critical care survivors during the first year after hospital discharge

“…34 Moreover, the relatives’ experience was complicated by their social isolation during the pandemic – a phenomenon which had been previously reported among dementia caregivers in the COVID-19 pandemic. 35 While the barriers to an uncomplicated discharge process have changed with the onset of the pandemic, efforts should still be made to provide support for the carers prior to, during and after the hospital discharge.…”

Unpaid caregiving and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic—A systematic review of the quantitative literature

“…This is predominantly via published work documenting caregivers’ experiences during COVID-19, which illustrate feasible pathways to the reported increased prevalence of depressive and anxiety disorders found by our review. For example, a US based survey of caregivers during 2020 showed that most carers reported an increase in stress (83%) and a greater feeling of loneliness (77%) during the pandemic [ 63 ]. This aligns with Dellafiore et al’s earlier rapid systematic review reporting caregivers’ heightened stress as a key theme [ 28 ].…”

“Picturing a Way Forward”: Strategies to Manage the Effects of COVID-19-Related Isolation on Long-Term Care Residents and Their Informal Caregivers

“…Additionally, a 2021 systematic review of cross-sectional and longitudinal studies from North America and Europe showed an association between caregivers of older adults and risk of loneliness among caregivers, linked to depression and dissatisfaction with social interactions ( Hajek et al, 2021 ). In a sequential mixed-methods study, Bristol and colleagues (2021) examined the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on family caregivers’ social connections and found that the majority of caregivers (83%) in the United States experienced increased stress and feelings of loneliness (77%) during the pandemic. Emerging evidence from several countries suggests that caregivers are growing increasingly socially isolated since the pandemic—most of which has been attributed to lockdown measures ( Hajek et al, 2021 ; Messina et al, 2022 ).…”