Video-Based Communication and Its Association with Loneliness, Mental Health and Quality of Life among Older People during the COVID-19 Outbreak

Bonsaksen, Tore; Thygesen, Hilde; Leung, Janni; Ruffolo, Mary; Schoultz, Mariyana; Price, Daicia; Geirdal, Amy Østertun

doi:10.3390/ijerph18126284

Cited by 20 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Regarding technophilia, our study did not find an association between a better attitude toward technology and better mental health. In line with these results, a multicenter study conducted in Norway, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia also found no change in loneliness and the quality of life in adults over 70 years who used ICTs to maintain social contact during the COVID outbreak [ 63 ]. However, we showed in a previous study based on the TV-AssistDem RCT how technology could be useful to maintain cognitive activities [ 61 ], and more studies need to clarify whether the evidence supports the recommendations on interventions that may improve the knowledge of ICTs and are related with the use of technology to maintain social connections and cognitive activities [ 64 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 76%

The Impact of COVID-19 Confinement on Cognition and Mental Health and Technology Use Among Socially Vulnerable Older People: Retrospective Cohort Study

Dura-Perez¹,

Goodman‐Casanova²,

Vega-Núñez³

et al. 2022

J Med Internet Res

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Background COVID-19 forced the implementation of restrictive measures in Spain, such as lockdown, home confinement, social distancing, and isolation. It is necessary to study whether limited access to basic services and decreased family and social support could have deleterious effects on cognition, quality of life, and mental health in vulnerable older people. Objective This study aims to explore the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on cognition in older adults with mild cognitive impairment or dementia as the main outcome and the quality of life, perceived health status, and depression as secondary outcomes and to analyze the association of living alone and a change in living arrangements with those outcomes and other variables related with the use of technology and health services. Likewise, this study aims to analyze the association of high and low technophilia with those variables, to explore the access and use of health care and social support services, and, finally, to explore the informative-, cognitive-, entertainment-, and socialization-related uses of information and communications technologies (ICTs) during the COVID-19 outbreak. Methods This cohort study was conducted in Málaga (Spain). In total, 151 participants with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia, from the SMART4MD (n=75, 49.7%) and TV-AssistDem (n=76, 50.3%) randomized clinical trials, were interviewed by telephone between May 11 and June 26, 2020. All participants had undergone 1-3 assessments (in 6-month intervals) on cognition, quality of life, and mood prior to the COVID-19 breakout. Results The outbreak did not significantly impact the cognition, quality of life, and mood of our study population when making comparisons with baseline assessments prior to the outbreak. Perceived stress was reported as moderate during the outbreak. After correction for multiple comparisons, living alone, a change in living arrangements, and technophilia were not associated with negative mental health outcomes. However, being alone was nominally associated with self-perceived fear and depression, and higher technophilia with better quality of life, less boredom, perceived stress and depression, and also less calmness. Overall, health care and social support service access and utilization were high. The most used ICTs during the COVID-19 outbreak were the television for informative, cognitive, and entertainment-related uses and the smartphone for socialization. Conclusions Our findings show that the first months of the outbreak did not significantly impact the cognition, quality of life, perceived health status, and depression of our study population when making comparisons with baseline assessments prior to the outbreak. Living alone and low technophilia require further research to establish whether they are risk factors of mental health problems during lockdowns in vulnerable populations. Moreover, although ICTs have proven to be useful for informative-, cognitive-, entertainment-, and socialization-related uses during the pandemic, more evidence is needed to support these interventions. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04385797; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04385797 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) RR2-10.2196/26431

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 76%

The Impact of COVID-19 Confinement on Cognition and Mental Health and Technology Use Among Socially Vulnerable Older People: Retrospective Cohort Study

Dura-Perez¹,

Goodman‐Casanova²,

Vega-Núñez³

et al. 2022

J Med Internet Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Due to ethical considerations and permissions in each of the countries, each country had their own project lead. The survey was developed by the researchers in two languages; Norwegian and English, and was based on a previous survey conducted by the research group in the early phase (April 2020) of the pandemic outbreak ( 8 , 27 , 28 ). Language and cultural differences were considered during the survey development process.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Media Use and Its Associations With Mental Health 9 Months After the COVID-19 Outbreak: A Cross-National Study

Thygesen

Bonsaksen

Schoultz

et al. 2022

Front. Public Health

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BackgroundThe covid-19 pandemic has impacted the health and well-being of millions across the globe. Strict social distancing policies and periodic lockdowns has led to an increased reliance on alternative online means of communication, including social media.Objectivesto examine (i) social media use and mental health in the general population 9 months after the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak and (ii) mental health in relation to motives for and extent of social media use, while adjusting for sociodemographic variables.MethodsA cross-national online survey was conducted in Norway, UK, USA and Australia. Participants (n = 3,474) reported extent of and motives for social media use and completed the 12-item General Health Questionnaire. The data were analyzed by chi-square tests, one-way analyses of variance, and multiple linear regression analysis.ResultsPoorer mental health was associated with using social media to decrease loneliness and for entertainment motives, while better mental health was associated with using social media for personal contact and maintaining relationships. Overall increased daily time on social media was associated with poorer mental health. The social media use variables were responsible for a substantial proportion of the outcome variance explained. These findings were consistent across the four countries, with only minor variations.ConclusionsMotives for using, and time spent using, social media were associated with the participants' mental health. Guidance and recommendations for social media usage to the general public for prevention and intervention for behavioral health may be beneficial.

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“…Each country had their own project lead, according to the country-specific rules. The survey was developed by the researchers in two languages simultaneously: Norwegian and English, and was based on a previous survey conducted by the research group in the early phase (April 2020) of the pandemic outbreak [ 18 , 19 , 22 , 23 , 24 ] Language and cultural differences were considered during the survey development process. This means that the Norwegian phrasing of each item would convey the same content as the corresponding English item, while considering the different grammatical structures and nuances in the culturally embedded meaning of words allowed us to use the phrase that would most effectively convey the meaning in each of the languages.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Students’ Mental Health, Well-Being, and Loneliness during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-National Study

et al. 2022

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, much research has been devoted to assessing mental health in a variety of populations. Students in higher education appear to be particularly vulnerable to experiencing reduced mental health. The purpose of the study was to assess whether higher education students experienced poorer mental health compared to the general population and examine the factors associated with students’ mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-national sample of students (n = 354) and non-students (n = 3120) participated in a survey in October/November 2020. Mental health outcomes among students and non-students were compared with independent t-tests. Multiple linear regression analysis and general linear estimation were used to assess the impact of student status on mental health outcomes while adjusting for sociodemographic factors. Students reported poorer mental health than non-students. The difference in mental health between students and non-students was bigger for participants aged 30 years or older. More social media use was associated with poorer mental health outcomes. In conclusion, students had poorer mental health than the wider population. Aspects of life as a student, beyond what can be attributed to life stage, appears to increase mental health problems.

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Video-Based Communication and Its Association with Loneliness, Mental Health and Quality of Life among Older People during the COVID-19 Outbreak

Cited by 20 publications

References 40 publications

The Impact of COVID-19 Confinement on Cognition and Mental Health and Technology Use Among Socially Vulnerable Older People: Retrospective Cohort Study

The Impact of COVID-19 Confinement on Cognition and Mental Health and Technology Use Among Socially Vulnerable Older People: Retrospective Cohort Study

Social Media Use and Its Associations With Mental Health 9 Months After the COVID-19 Outbreak: A Cross-National Study

Students’ Mental Health, Well-Being, and Loneliness during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-National Study

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