What Factors Are Associated With Psychological Vulnerability and Resiliency Among Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic?

Sneed, Rodlescia; Krendl, Anne C.

doi:10.1093/geronb/gbac027

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…For example, the combination of disadvantageous childhood socioeconomic conditions, coupled with adverse adult socioeconomic conditions, increase the probability of chronic health diseases (Galobardes et al, 2007 ). Aging adults are thus not all equally vulnerable to the risks associated with COVID-19; their vulnerability is associated to a wide variety of life-course experiences and factors, only some of which directly related to age (Oris et al, 2020 ; Sneed and Krendl, 2022 ).…”

Section: A Theoretical Framework To Understand Wellbeing and Coping S...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Older adults' experiences of wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic: a comparative qualitative study in Italy and Switzerland

Dones,

Ciobanu

2024

Front. Sociol.

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BackgroundParticularly at the beginning of the pandemic, adults aged 65 and older were portrayed as a homogeneously vulnerable population due to the elevated health risks associated with contracting the COVID-19 disease. This portrayal, combined with travel restrictions, closures of economic sectors, country-wide lockdowns, and suggestions by governmental authorities to limit social contact, had important implications for the wellbeing of older individuals. However, older adults are a heterogeneous population who relies on different resources to cope with stressful periods, like the COVID-19 pandemic. Simultaneously, countries also employed different measures to contain the virus. Research thus far has focused on the short-term consequences of the pandemic, but studies have yet to address its long-term consequences.ObjectivesWe explore older adults' lived experiences nearly 2 years after the pandemic onset. Moreover, we focus on the bordering countries of Switzerland and Italy, who employed contrasting containment measures. This paper analyzes (1) How the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the experiences of wellbeing of older adults in these regions and (2) How older adults coped with the stressors brought about by the pandemic, in particular social distancing.MethodsThe paper draws on 31 semi-structured interviews with 11 Swiss natives residing in Switzerland, 10 Italian migrants residing in Switzerland, and 10 Italian natives residing in Italy. Interviews were conducted from December 2021 to March 2022.ResultsCoping mechanisms of the three groups related to acceptance, hobbies, cognitive reframing, telephone use, vaccine use and social distancing. However, results show heterogeneous experiences of wellbeing, with Swiss natives sharing more positive narratives than the other two groups. Moreover, Italian migrants and Italian natives expressed the long-term negative consequences of the pandemic on their experienced wellbeing.

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Section: A Theoretical Framework To Understand Wellbeing and Coping S...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Older adults' experiences of wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic: a comparative qualitative study in Italy and Switzerland

Dones,

Ciobanu

2024

Front. Sociol.

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“…More specifically, taking into account people’s ages, it has a priori had a more immediate impact on the lives of older adults because they are more likely to suffer serious illness or even death caused by the coronavirus, and they also faced greater social isolation during the pandemic [ 7 , 8 ]. The greater vulnerability of this older age group to the pandemic has prompted a substantial stream of research examining this impact and their well-being [ 9 ]. On the other hand, thanks to the success of public health policies and socioeconomic development, we have achieved longer life expectancy.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychological and Social Vulnerability in Spaniards’ Quality of Life in the Face of COVID-19: Age and Gender Results

Ruiz

Navarro

Huete-Alcocer

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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Following the serious health situation in Spain and around the world in 2020 and 2021 stemming from COVID-19, this paper examines how the most vulnerable groups (in social and health terms) in Spanish society suffered the worst impacts on their quality of life during the pandemic. The review of the literature and publications released by the health authorities highlight the high number of cases of illness and death due to COVID-19; however, there are no studies about how it has affected aspects of citizens’ daily lives, considering some of their sociodemographic characteristics such as age and gender. A key issue when measuring citizens’ quality of life is that we typically see a U-shaped curve by age group, where young people register the highest shares along with the elderly; nevertheless, the pandemic has clearly brought about a change in this regard. In this study, we corroborate this finding, along with the psychological issues underlying this fact in young people and the physical ones in the elderly. To do so, we use an ANOVA and regression analysis with data from a sample of 908 Spanish citizens belonging to different age groups. These data were collected through an online survey distributed throughout Spain, mostly by email and social media, between 15 February and 15 April 2021 with a margin of error of 3.25% and a confidence level of 95%. Furthermore, the analysis allowed us to determine how aspects of daily life—family situation, living conditions, social environment, employment and financial situation—have been negatively affected during the pandemic, clearly depending on the age of the people surveyed, pushing them towards social and health vulnerability.

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“With change comes good and bad things”: Understanding Rural and Small-Town Older Adults’ Resilient Nature in Times of the COVID-19 Pandemic (Preprint)

Nurain¹,

Chung²,

Caldeira³

et al. 2023

Preprint

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BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic posed a unique conflict between physical safety and other values (e.g., in-person social interactions) that threatened disproportionately older adults' mental health and social well-being. Further, older adults living in rural areas and small towns suffer from unique social exclusion during the pandemic due to a lack of services, such as transportation, communication infrastructure, and healthcare and social services. Contrary to the repeated reference to vulnerability by the public and academic community, some research demonstrates that older adults are more resilient emotionally when compared to younger age groups and uniquely able to cope with pandemic adversity. However, less attention has been directed to investigating coping and resilience from the perspectives of rural older adults. OBJECTIVE This study sought to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic impacts the mental and social well-being of older adults living in rural areas and small towns in the USA, how they cope with pandemic stressors, and how coping strategies affect their resilience. METHODS We conducted 26 remote 1-hr semi-structured interviews with older adults living in rural areas and small towns. The study was conducted in a single state in the U.S. Midwest (Indiana) during the initial stages of COVID-19. The interview protocol focused on capturing participants' lived experiences, changes to social engagement, usage of different services and facilities, perceptions of social support and interpersonal connections, and strengths and challenges experienced living in the community during the pandemic. Data from these interviews were analyzed using a thematic approach. RESULTS Participants experienced increased loneliness, anxiety, fear, and depression due to pandemic restrictions and disease mitigation measures (e.g., stay-at-home orders, lockdowns, social distancing, etc.) during the initial stages of the pandemic. Despite initial challenges, participants adopted different strategies to cope positively, such as following protective measures, keeping themselves busy, providing and receiving social support, and having a positive mindset. Participants also experienced positive changes, such as increased interpersonal connectivity, in the context of pandemic-invoked adversaries. CONCLUSIONS Our findings reflect the resilient nature of rural and small-town older adults in terms of their psychosocial response and coping strategies in the face of adverse circumstances of the pandemic. Our research reveals that older adults' individual-level coping processes are influenced by the social and physical environments in which they live. We anticipate our findings will guide future research to explore opportunities to support better late-life coping during crises and promote emotional resilience. In addition, the findings can be used to harness older adults' practices to facilitate the broader community's resilience in times of crisis.

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What Factors Are Associated With Psychological Vulnerability and Resiliency Among Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic?

Cited by 3 publications

References 21 publications

Older adults' experiences of wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic: a comparative qualitative study in Italy and Switzerland

Older adults' experiences of wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic: a comparative qualitative study in Italy and Switzerland

Psychological and Social Vulnerability in Spaniards’ Quality of Life in the Face of COVID-19: Age and Gender Results

“With change comes good and bad things”: Understanding Rural and Small-Town Older Adults’ Resilient Nature in Times of the COVID-19 Pandemic (Preprint)

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