Impact of COVID-19 on the Mental Health and Distress of Community-Dwelling Older Adults.
Judith M Scott, Stacy W Yun, Sara H Qualls
PMID 34256160WHAT IT FOUND
In 126 community-dwelling older adults, high concern and stress were common.
Social isolation predicted distress, while health service access problems, health changes, and coping engagement were linked to greater mental health impact.
Key findings
01Most older adults were concerned or stressed about COVID-19, and about half reported feeling isolated or lacking companionship.
02Greater social impact from the pandemic predicted higher COVID-19 distress, while COVID-19 experience, health service access, health changes, and coping did not significantly predict distress in that model.
03Greater health service access changes, health changes, and adaptive coping engagement predicted greater mental health impact of COVID-19, while COVID-19 experience and social impact did not.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample came from one county in southern Colorado and was not nationally representative. It was a convenience sample that was mostly White and well-educated, and it may have included people who were already more likely to follow public health guidelines and have access to resources. The study was cross-sectional, so it can show links at one time point but cannot show that social isolation, health service access changes, health changes, or coping caused distress or mental health impact. The survey items were designed for short telephone interviews and were not standardized measures of the constructs. The study did not identify participants with pre-existing mental health problems, so people with existing conditions may have experienced the pandemic differently.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the high rates of mask wearing and outreach as proof that adaptive coping reduced mental health problems. The study found that greater engagement in adaptive coping behaviors was linked to greater mental health impact of COVID-19.