Depressive symptoms and frailty, effects of social distancing and isolation in older adults.
Maria Helena Lenardt, Aline de Souza Falcão, Clovis Cechinel and 2 others
PMID 40382006WHAT IT FOUND
Adherence to social distancing and isolation was not associated with developing frailty or depressive symptoms in 85 older adults followed for an average of 763 days.
Although 51.8% became pre-frail and 14.1% developed depressive symptoms, those changes were not linked to the exposure.
Key findings
01Adherence to social distancing and social isolation was not associated with physical frailty or depressive symptoms in the followed cohort.
02Of 85 followed older adults, 51.8% became pre-frail, 2.3% became frail, and 14.1% developed depressive symptoms.
03Single, separated, divorced or widowed adults had lower adjusted risk of frailty (HR=0.38) and depressive symptoms (HR=0.43) than married adults, and working adults or pensioners had lower adjusted risk of frailty (HR=0.28) and depressive symptoms (HR=0.40) than non-working adults.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only 85 of the 147 baseline participants were analysed; 62 were lost, and losses were more common among adults aged 60 to 69 years. The study used an author-created scale for adherence to social distancing and isolation that was not tested or validated, and participants recalled behaviour from March to December 2020, so exposure measurement may be inaccurate. People with dementia, schizophrenia, Parkinson disease, wheelchair use, or limb amputation were excluded, so results may not apply to more impaired older adults. The sample came from one Basic Health Unit in southern Brazil and was mostly female (60%), white (71.8%), and married (52.9%). This makes it unclear whether the results apply to other settings or populations. The study was observational and small, so it cannot show that social distancing, isolation, marital status, or employment status caused frailty or depressive symptoms.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that social distancing or isolation caused frailty or depressive symptoms. The study found no association between adherence and either outcome, and the adherence scale was not tested or validated.