Older Chinese migrants in coronavirus pandemic: exploring risk and protective factors to increased loneliness

Abstract

Older migrants may be one of the most vulnerable populations during the coronavirus pandemic, yet the degree of impact remains largely unknown. This study explores (1) the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic for older Chinese migrants in Belgium and the Netherlands in terms of increased loneliness and its risk factors (reduced in-person contact, decreased social participation, feelings of existential threat) and protective factors (increased non-in-person contact, more individual activities), and (2) which risk and protective factors have contributed to the incidence and prevention of higher loneliness levels. Using quantitative data of a survey among 98 Chinese migrants aged 50 years and older in Belgium ( n = 84) and the Netherlands ( n = 14), the findings first indicate that the coronavirus pandemic has a significant impact on older Chinese migrants’ lives. One in five experienced more loneliness. Second, reduced social participation (measured as less frequent participation in outdoor group activities) and financial insecurity (measured as experiencing financial difficulties) lead to higher than pre-pandemic loneliness levels. Problem-focused coping strategies (measured as increased non-in-person contact, via telephone or social media) and emotion-focused coping (measured as finding distraction through increased participation in individual activities) were not found to protect against increased loneliness in the pandemic. Two practical implications for loneliness interventions for older Chinese migrants are put forward. Organizing COVID-19-safe social participation activities and paying more attention to older Chinese migrants’ financial situation can be beneficial when addressing higher levels of loneliness due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Social isolation and loneliness in older immigrants during COVID-19: a scoping review

“…Second, the main findings of this scoping review show that although researchers and practitioners raised concerns about the experience and potential adverse health outcomes of social isolation and loneliness resulting from physical/social distancing (Campbell, 2020;Lee and Miller, 2020), the limited available empirical evidence does not fully support these concerns. In the study by Pan et al (2021), older immigrants reduced their in-person contacts but augmented their contacts with family and friends through telephone or social media, a finding consistent with that reported by Ro ¨hr et al (2020). This switch in the means of contact, along with living arrangement (where older immigrants tend to live with their children and grandchildren), may have contained older immigrants' experiences and feelings of isolation and loneliness.…”

“…This switch in the means of contact, along with living arrangement (where older immigrants tend to live with their children and grandchildren), may have contained older immigrants' experiences and feelings of isolation and loneliness. Pan et al (2021) found that most older immigrants reported no change in their level of loneliness during, as compared to pre-pandemic. This finding is comparable to those reported in other studies targeting the general older adult population in the USA (Rorai and Perry, 2020), the UK (Creese et al, 2021) and Germany (Ro ¨hr et al, 2020).…”

“…The empirical studies involved quantitative, cross-sectional, online surveys. Pan et al (2021) examined the experience of loneliness (measured by one item inquiring about changes in the level of loneliness during the pandemic), the frequency of contact with others and determinants of loneliness among 98 Chinese older immigrants residing in Belgium and The Netherlands. In Jia et al ’s (2020) study, about 10% of the sample ( n = 3097) were immigrants and 28% were older (≥55 years) adults; loneliness was measured with one item.…”

“…The authors of the four discussion papers (Calvo, 2020; Campbell, 2020; Lee and Miller, 2020; Johnson et al , 2021) and an empirical study (Pan et al , 2021) proposed diverse strategies to maintain older adults’ and immigrants’ social connections during the COVID-19 pandemic. These strategies accounted, to some extent, for the differential health and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on older adults based on their intersectional social locations including immigrant status, gender, age, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, and ability (Calvo, 2020; Lee and Miller, 2020; Johnson et al , 2021).…”

“…The discussion papers mentioned challenges, concerns and/or strategies to promote social connection for older adults, including immigrant and marginalized persons. The empirical studies involved quantitative, crosssectional, online surveys Pan et al (2021). examined the experience of loneliness (measured by one item inquiring about changes in the level of loneliness during the pandemic), the frequency of contact with others and determinants of loneliness among 98 Chinese older immigrants residing in Belgium and The Netherlands.…”