Perceptions of societal ageism and declines in subjective memory during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Longitudinal evidence from US adults aged ≥55 years

Cohn‐Schwartz, Ella; Finlay, Jessica; Kobayashi, Lindsay C.

doi:10.1111/josi.12544

Cited by 13 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 75 publications

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“…Although not evident in our data, there is the risk that benevolent ageism might foster cognitive decline (Cohn-Schwartz et al, 2022;Sublett & Bisconti, 2020; see also Giebel et al, 2021, with respect to dementia). Additionally, the policies restricted individual autonomy, challenged established ways of communication, and consequently, increased anxiety.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 56%

Is protecting older adults from COVID‐19 ageism? A comparative cross‐cultural constructive grounded theory from the United Kingdom and Colombia

Derrer‐Merk

Reyes‐Rodriguez

Salazar

et al. 2022

Journal of Social Issues

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The COVID-19 pandemic impacted people's lives all over the world, requiring health and safety measures intended to stop the virus from spreading. This study explores whether an unintended consequence of these measures is a new form of ageism. We explore, using qualitative methods, the experiences of older adults living through the pandemic in the United Kingdom and Colombia. Although there were some small differences between countries, for the most part, the experiences were similar. We found that older adults reported that they were seen as a homogenous group and experienced both benevolent and hostile ageism and a loss of autonomy as a consequence of COVID-19 protection measures. Participants from both countries expressed anger and frustration, and increased anxiety, and felt that their individuality was ignored. We recommend that policy-makers, the media, and wider society consider the impact of such health and safety measures onThis is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 56%

Is protecting older adults from COVID‐19 ageism? A comparative cross‐cultural constructive grounded theory from the United Kingdom and Colombia

Derrer‐Merk

Reyes‐Rodriguez

Salazar

et al. 2022

Journal of Social Issues

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“…Ageism toward older adults—or negative age‐based stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination enacted toward older adults (Butler, 1969 )—is a widely studied (Nelson, 2016 ), pervasive social problem, with pernicious effects on the mental health (Bai et al., 2016 ; Chrisler et al., 2016 ; Lyons et al., 2018 ), cognitive health (Cohn‐Schwartz et al., 2022 ), physical functioning (Allen, 2016 ), and overall wellbeing (Kim & Jung, 2021 ; Sabik, 2015 ) of older adults. Concern about the ramifications of ageism toward older adults heightened in March of 2020 at the onset of the COVID‐19 pandemic (Swift & Chasteen, 2021 ), as public health messaging stressed the significant risks of the virus to older adults with medical comorbidities (Morrow‐Howell et al., 2020 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Older adults’ perceptions and experiences of ageism during the COVID‐19 pandemic

McDarby

Picchiello

et al. 2022

Journal of Social Issues

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The current study investigates older adults’ perceptions of ageism in the United States during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Using tenets of Stereotype Embodiment Theory and the Behaviors from Intergroup Affect and Stereotypes Map framework, we sought to (a) examine whether older adults experienced ageism as self‐relevant during the pandemic and (b) understand whether older adults experienced certain media messages and interpersonal behaviors during the pandemic and interpreted them as being motivated by potentialpaternalistic age stereotypes. Older adults aged 65 and older recruited from the community ( n = 73) participated in a semi‐structured interview about their perspectives on ageism toward older adults during the pandemic. Participants also completed an online survey about their experiences with a range of messages and interpersonal behaviors throughout the pandemic. We thematically analyzed interview data and identified three primary themes: self‐relevance of age stereotypes; awareness of negative, overgeneralized portrayals of older adults; and defenses against self‐relevance of age stereotypes. Survey responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics and frequency counts and suggest that participants attributed messages and behaviors potentially imbued with paternalistic ageism as motivated primarily by care and concern for older adults. The findings add to the field's understanding of older adults’ experiences and perceptions of ageism in the media and in interpersonal behaviors in the context of COVID‐19.

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“…They are at higher risk from COVID-19, with greater disease severity and higher mortality compared to younger people (Cerasoli, 2020). Recent research highlights that the COVID-19 health and safety measures have led to increased mental health problems, such as increased feelings of depression, anxiety, social isolation, and loneliness, potentially cognitive decline (Allen et al 2021;Bailey et al, 2021;Dahlberg, 2021;Derrer-Merk et al, 2022b;Derrer-Merk et al, 2022a;Heidinger & Richter, 2020;Richter & Heidinger, 2021;Krendl & Perry, 2021;Litwin & Levinsky, 2021;De Pue et al 2021;Shahid et al, 2020;Smith et al, 2020;Cohn-Schwartz et al, 2022;Tsoukalis-Chaikalis et al, 2021;van Gerwen et al, 2021;Victor et al, 2022;Vrach &Tomar, 2020). Other studies reported the consequences of age discrimination (Derrer-Merk et al, 2022c;Lytle & Levy, 2022;MCDarby, 2022;Drury et al, 2022;Kanik et al, 2022;Spaccatini et al, 2022;Sutter et al, 2022;Swift & Chasteen, 2021;).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Older adults’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative systematic literature review.

Derrer‐Merk¹,

Rodrigez²,

Soulsby³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Objectives: Relatively little is known about the lived experiences of older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. We systematically review the international literature to understand the lived experiences of older adult’s experiences during the pandemic.Design and methodology: This study uses a meta-ethnographical approach to investigate the included studies. The analyses were undertaken with constructivist grounded theory. Results: 32 studies met the inclusion criteria and only five papers were of low quality. Most, but not all studies, were from the global north. We identified six themes: risk communication; discrimination; social connectivity; well-being; coping. Overall, the studies’ findings were varied and reflected different times during the pandemic. Studies reported about the impact of mass media messaging and its mostly negative impact on older adults. Many studies highlighted the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on participants' social connectivity and well-being such as missing the proximity of loved ones and in consequence experienced and increase in anxiety, feeling of depression, or loneliness. Some studies focused on discrimination in particular studies investigating the experiences of LGBT and immigration participants. They found that the pandemic impacted on the participants well-being such as suicidal risk behaviour, loss of friendship, and increase mental health issues. Additionally, many studies reported how participants adapted to the change of lifestyle such as using new ways of communication, and following social distancing advice. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted and impacted older adults’ well-being worldwide. Despite the cultural and socio-economic differences many commonalities were found. Studies described the impact of mass media reporting, discrimination, social connectivity, impact on well-being, and coping. The authors suggest that these findings need to be acknowledged for future pandemic strategies. Additionally, the process of policy-making needs to include older adults to address their particular needs. PROSPERO record [CRD42022331714]

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Perceptions of societal ageism and declines in subjective memory during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Longitudinal evidence from US adults aged ≥55 years

Cited by 13 publications

References 75 publications

Is protecting older adults from COVID‐19 ageism? A comparative cross‐cultural constructive grounded theory from the United Kingdom and Colombia

Is protecting older adults from COVID‐19 ageism? A comparative cross‐cultural constructive grounded theory from the United Kingdom and Colombia

Older adults’ perceptions and experiences of ageism during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Older adults’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative systematic literature review.

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