Loneliness and its concomitants among older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic

Frenkel-Yosef, Maya; Maytles, Ruth; Shrira, Amit

doi:10.1017/s1041610220003476

Cited by 30 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Both loneliness and decreased physical activity were associated with worse mental health in 2020 compared to previous years. This suggests that the association observed in 2020 was not solely due to a longer standing relationship between current loneliness, physical activity, and mental health before 2020, overcoming an important limitation of previous cross-sectional studies with a measurement taken only during the pandemic (Frenkel-Yosef et al, 2020). Our data also show that the impact of the pandemic on mental health would have been overestimated without the longitudinal perspective, bringing new insight to these established mental health risk factors and in line with other recent findings (Banks and Xu, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Three representatively sampled surveys (two USA and one UK) with data preand during the pandemic reported no significant changes in loneliness, but the interactions with the onset of the pandemic on mental health levels were not examined (Luchetti et al, 2020;McGinty et al, 2020;Office for National Statistics, 2020). Two cross-sectional studies have linked loneliness with worse mental health and psychological distress, and a third indicated that people with low social support (a possible proxy for loneliness) had a more severe trajectory of depression during the pandemic (Frank et al, 2020;Frenkel-Yosef et al, 2020;Killgore et al, 2020). However without data prior to 2020, it is impossible to evaluate fully the specific importance of these factors during the pandemic.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Loneliness, physical activity, and mental health during COVID-19: a longitudinal analysis of depression and anxiety in adults over the age of 50 between 2015 and 2020

Creese

Khan

Henley

et al. 2020

Int. Psychogeriatr.

159

124

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Objective: Loneliness and physical activity are important targets for research into the impact of COVID-19 because they have established links with mental health, could be exacerbated by social distancing policies and are potentially modifiable. In this study we aimed to identify whether loneliness and physical activity were associated with worse mental health during a period of mandatory social distancing in the UK. Design: Population-based observation cohort study. Setting: Mental health data collected online during COVID-19 from an existing sample of adults aged 50 and over taking part in a longitudinal study of ageing. All had comparable annual data collected between 2015 and 2019. Participants: 3,281 participants aged 50 and over. Measurements: Trajectories of depression (measured by PHQ-9) and anxiety (measured by GAD-7) between 2015 and 2020 were analyzed with respect to loneliness, physical activity levels and a number of socioeconomic and demographic characteristics using zero-inflated negative binomial regression. Results: In 2020, PHQ-9 score for loneliness, adjusted for covariates, was 3.23 (95% CI: 3.01-3.44), an increase of around one point on all previous years in this group and 2 points higher than people not rated lonely, whose score did not change in 2020 (1.22, 95% CI: 1.12-1.32). PHQ-9 was 2.60, 95% CI: 2.43-2.78 in people with decreased physical activity, an increase of 0.5 on previous years. In contrast, PHQ-9 in 2020 for people whose physical activity had not decreased was 1.66, 95% CI: 1.56-1.75, similar to previous years. A similar relationship was observed for GAD-7 though the absolute burden of symptoms lower. Conclusion: After accounting for pre-COVID-19 trends, we show that experiencing loneliness and decreased physical activity are risk factors for worsening mental health during the pandemic. Our findings highlight the need to examine policies which target these potentially modifiable risk factors.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Loneliness, physical activity, and mental health during COVID-19: a longitudinal analysis of depression and anxiety in adults over the age of 50 between 2015 and 2020

Creese

Khan

Henley

et al. 2020

Int. Psychogeriatr.

159

124

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…12,22 This finding elucidates the benefits that support services bring to the lives of PLWD, but also to carers, and concurs with previous evidence reporting links between loss of socialization and depression in dementia. 2,4 Loneliness has been reported in older adults during the time of COVID-19, with higher rates found in those with medical conditions, fewer face-to-face interactions and an absence of regular activities, 23 which resonates with PLWD. Generally, loneliness has been linked to morbidity in older adults, 24,25 and has also been linked to exacerbated clinical signs of dementia.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emotional and Mental Wellbeing Following COVID-19 Public Health Measures on People Living With Dementia and Carers

Hanna

Giebel

Tetlow³

et al. 2021

J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol

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Background: To date, there appears to be no evidence on the longer-term impacts caused by COVID-19 and its related public health restrictions on some of the most vulnerable in our societies. The aim of this research was to explore the change in impact of COVID-19 public health measures on the mental wellbeing of people living with dementia (PLWD) and unpaid carers. Method: Semi-structured, follow-up telephone interviews were conducted with PLWD and unpaid carers between June and July 2020. Participants were asked about their experiences of accessing social support services during the pandemic, and the impact of restrictions on their daily lives. Results: 20 interviews were conducted and thematically analyzed, which produced 3 primary themes concerning emotional responses and impact to mental health and wellbeing during the course of the pandemic: 1) Impact on mental health during lockdown, 2) Changes to mental health following easing of public health, and 3) The long-term effect of public health measures. Conclusions: The findings from this research shed light on the longer-term psychological impacts of the UK Government’s public health measures on PLWD and their carers. The loss of social support services was key in impacting this cohort mentally and emotionally, displaying a need for better psychological support, for both carers and PLWD.

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“…Thus, the mean age of participants differed across the studies. A cross-sectional study conducted by Frenkel-Yosef et al (2020) with older adults found that the oldest individuals were the loneliest. However, loneliness in this cohort was moderated by negative views of ageing, higher levels of psychological distress and limited face-to-face interactions.…”

Section: Key Participant Demographicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 and loneliness: A rapid systematic review

Pai

2021

Aust N Z J Psychiatry

102

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Background: Loneliness is known to be associated with both poorer physical and mental health, being associated with increased mortality. Responses throughout the world to the current COVID-19 pandemic all incorporate varying degrees of social distancing and isolation. There is an imperative to provide a timely review and synthesis of the impact of COVID-19 on loneliness in the general population. Methods: PubMed was searched using the key terms ‘COVID-19’, ‘coronavirus’, ‘SARS-COV2’ and ‘loneliness’. Fifty-four articles were identified and screened against the inclusion criteria. The inclusion criteria stipulated that the study needed to incorporate a measure of loneliness with participants being drawn from the general adult population. Twenty-four studies met the inclusion criteria. Results: The key data extracted from the 24 reviewed studies are presented and summarised with a focus on key demographics of participants, the research designs utilised, the measures of loneliness employed and the other variables assessed in the studies. Overall, the findings indicate that loneliness has been a significant issue during the current COVID-19 pandemic and loneliness is positively associated with mental health symptoms. However, there were inconsistencies in the results evident across studies. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first systematic review of research investigating loneliness during the current COVID-19 pandemic in the general adult population. Despite the inconsistencies evident in some of the results across the studies, it is clearly apparent that loneliness is having an impact on the mental health and wellbeing of the general adult population. Furthermore, it is apparent that the current COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on loneliness in the general adult population and that loneliness is significantly positively associated with mental illness symptomatology. Thus, there is an imperative to address loneliness through public policy and interventions. The limitations of this review are noted and directions given for future research.

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Loneliness and its concomitants among older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic

Cited by 30 publications

References 10 publications

Loneliness, physical activity, and mental health during COVID-19: a longitudinal analysis of depression and anxiety in adults over the age of 50 between 2015 and 2020

Loneliness, physical activity, and mental health during COVID-19: a longitudinal analysis of depression and anxiety in adults over the age of 50 between 2015 and 2020

Emotional and Mental Wellbeing Following COVID-19 Public Health Measures on People Living With Dementia and Carers

COVID-19 and loneliness: A rapid systematic review

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