Anxiety and depression in the elderly due to COVID-19 pandemic: a pilot study

Abstract

Background The elderly are a vulnerable section of the population who are prone to physical, mental, social, and economic deprivation. The effect of COVID-19 had a worldwide impact on all age groups, with a particularly higher mortality and morbidity rate among the elderly population. The present study was undertaken to know about the psychological morbidity in the geriatric population during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study was cross-sectional and was done through a telephonic survey. Eligible elderly subjects were contacted telephonically, and the Geriatric Anxiety Scale and the Geriatric Depression Scale were administered. To evaluate the functional ability of elderly subjects, the Everyday Abilities Scale for India (EASI) scale was administered. For the telephonic survey, verbal consent was sought. Results A total of 92 elderly subjects were included. Male outnumbered the females with a ratio of 1.8:1. Spouse and children were primary caregivers in 83.7% of the subjects. 90.2% were married, and 66.3% had earned a graduate/professional level of education. Chronic illness was present in 50% of subjects. The most common co-morbidities were hypertension (27.2%) and diabetes (21.7%). The proportion of elderly with anxiety and depression was 8.7% and 15.2% respectively. Conclusion The elderly showed lower levels of anxiety and depression. Higher resilience among the elderly and good family support may be the reasons for such an unexpected finding. However, more studies are required to validate the findings of the current study.

COVID-19 related anxiety and its associated factors: a cross-sectional study on older adults in Bangladesh

“…We did not find any study that reports the COVID-19-related anxiety level among the older population during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh using the CAS. However, a recent study among older people in India using the Geriatric Anxiety Scale [ 37 38 ] reported an anxiety prevalence of 8.7%, which is lower to what we have found in our study. Existing Bangladeshi studies on University students [ 23 , 24 ], young people [ 39 ], health workers [ 40 ] and the general population [ 41 , 42 ] reported anxiety prevalence during the COIVD-19 pandemic, ranging from 40 to 70%.…”

Mental Health Issues Associated With COVID-19 Among the Elderly Population: A Narrative Review

“…At the follow-up examination of this cohort, inflammatory markers were also the predictors of depression and anxiety in addition to a prior psychiatric history, although gender was not. However, Das et al (2021) [ 27 ] found that among the older population (>60 years), anxiety and depression were present at the rates of 8.7% and 15.2%, respectively.…”

Predictive Factors of Anxiety, Depression, and Health-Related Quality of Life in Community-Dwelling and Institutionalized Elderly during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…In some studies, anxiety and depression increased particularly due to reasons such as physical problems, movement limitations, and dependency on others [ 21 , 22 , 23 ]. Some studies, on the contrary, showed lower levels of anxiety and depression, and they motivated this result with a possible higher resilience and coping mechanisms in older people in comparison to the younger population or with a greater acceptance of death with maturity developed by age [ 24 , 25 ]. Moreover, when one considers resilience in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, a few studies have shown that older people seem to better manage their emotional and psychological consequences [ 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ].…”