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Background The COVID-19 pandemic poses a challenge to people’s day-to-day functioning and emotional and physical health, especially among older adults. Objective The aim of this study is to analyze gender differences in state anxiety, daily functional self-actualization, and functional cognition as well as the relationships among those factors in older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Methods We collected data on the web from a sample of 204 people (102 men and 102 women) aged 60 years and older. In addition to a demographic questionnaire, we used the State-Trait Personality Inventory to assess state anxiety, the Daily Functional Actualization questionnaire to evaluate daily functional self-actualization, and the Daily Living Questionnaire to measure functional cognition. Results Significant gender differences were found for state anxiety (t202=−2.36, P=.02); daily functional self-actualization (t202=2.15, P=.03); and the functional cognition components: complex tasks (Z=−3.07, P=.002); cognitive symptoms that might be interfering (Z=−2.15, P=.028); executive functions (Z=−2.21, P=.024); and executive function monitoring (Z=−2.21, P=.027). Significant medium correlations were found between both state anxiety level and daily functional self-actualization (r=−0.62, P<.001) and functional cognition (r=0.37-0.40, P<.001). Gender predicted 3% of the variance in state anxiety level, while daily functional self-actualization predicted 41% and complex activities (Daily Living Questionnaire) predicted an additional 3% (F3,200=58.01, P<.001). Conclusions In older adults, anxiety is associated with cognitive decline, which may harm daily functional abilities and lead to social isolation, loneliness, and decreased well-being. Self-awareness and knowledge of gender differences and relationships between common available resources of daily functional self-actualization and functional cognition with anxiety may be strengthening factors in crisis periods such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND Background: Especially among older adults, the Corona virus pandemic (COVID-19) poses a challenge to people's day-to-day functioning and constitutes a meaningful factor related to their emotional and physical health. OBJECTIVE Objective: This study aimed to analyze relationships and gender differences between state anxiety, daily functional actualization, and functional cognition among older adults during the COVD-19 pandemic shelter-in-place. METHODS Methods: We collected online data from a sample of 204 people (102 men and 102 women) aged 60 years and older. In addition to a demographic questionnaire, the State-Trait Personality Inventory was used to assess state anxiety, the Daily Functional Actualization questionnaire was used to evaluate daily functional actualization and the Daily Living Questionnaire to measure functional cognition. RESULTS Results: Significant gender differences were found for state anxiety, t(202) = -2.36, P = .02; daily functional actualization, t(202) = 2.15, P = .03; and several functional cognition components, such as complex tasks, Z = -3.07, P = .002; cognitive symptoms that might be interfering, Z = -2.15, P = .028; executive functions, Z = -2.21, P = .024; and executive function monitoring, Z = -2.21, P = .027. Significant medium correlations were found between both state anxiety level and functional cognition (r = .37–.40, P < .001) and daily functional actualization (r = -.62, P < .001). Furthermore, daily functional actualization predicted 43% of the variance of state anxiety level, F(1, 202) = 155.73, P < .0001. CONCLUSIONS Conclusions: In older adults, anxiety is associated with cognitive decline. It may harm daily functional abilities, in turn leading to social isolation, loneliness, and decreased well-being. Knowledge and self-awareness about the relationships between common and available resources of daily functional actualization and functional cognition with anxiety, especially as related to gender, may serve as a possible strengthening factor in crisis periods such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The CMT-2 assessment, a computerized version of the original Contextual Memory Test (CMT), evaluates memory and meta-memory skills. Assessing these skills among adolescents’ is important for the development of interventions improving daily function. The objectives of this study were to evaluate (1) test re-test reliability, (2) internal consistency, (3) and concurrent validity with the Weekly Calendar Planning Activity (WCPA). Method: Twenty-two Israeli teenagers (12 boys and 10 girls) aged 12-18 years were recruited by convenience sampling. Participants completed the CMT-2 assessment, followed by the WCPA. Results: The reliability between raters was (r=0.94-0.96), indicating good results. Significant positive correlations were found between performance estimations of the immediate and delayed recall memory tasks (internal consistency) (r=0.519, p<0.05), as well as between the total number of strategies used and the total number of items remembered. Moreover, a significant positive correlation was found between the number of strategies and self-awareness (r=0.343, p<0.05). However, concurrent validity with the WCPA measure was not found. Conclusions: The findings of the study suggest that the CMT-2 measure can be used to assess memory and memory strategies in adolescents. Nonetheless, future research is required to adapt the CMT-2 to the Israeli population, and to determine concurrent validity with a different measure evaluating similar cognitive elements.