Abstract
Background: The psychological condition and frequency of going out (FGO) of community-dwelling older adults after the spread of COVID-19 will provide insights for supporting the daily lives of community-dwelling older adults. Going out is defined as moving from one’s own home to a place or region beyond one’s own home and is considered to reflect the daily and social life of community-dwelling older adults. This study investigates the relationship between the FGO and current psychological condition after the second wave of COVID-19 in community-dwelling older adults in Japan. Methods: This study adopted a self-administered questionnaire by mail. A total of 493 members of CO-OP Kagoshima were included in the analysis and divided into two groups according to the change in FGO. Multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted after a bivariate analysis to investigate the relationship between the FGO and psychological condition. Results: Significant differences were noted between the groups with decreased FGO and those with increased/unchanged FGO in general and pandemic-related psychological condition. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed a significant relationship between FGO and psychological condition, such as mental fatigue, not smiling as much as before, and anxiousness to go outside. Conclusion: Community-dwelling older adults may have experienced a decrease in the frequency of going out and a detrimental effect on their psychological condition after the COVID-19 pandemic. This finding may inform strategies to identify priorities for psychological approaches altered by COVID-19 to prevent confinement and stress in older adults.
Highlights
The first COVID-19 outbreak was reported in December 2019 [1] and continues to have a severe impact causing high morbidity and mortality worldwide
Reports examining the relationship between psychological condition due to COVID19 and the frequency of going out (FGO) of older adults are lacking the number of reports examining various physical and psychological effects of COVID-19 on older adults is rapidly increasing
The results showed that the general and COVID-19-related psychological condition were significantly different among the groups classified by the change in FGO
Summary
The first COVID-19 outbreak was reported in December 2019 [1] and continues to have a severe impact causing high morbidity and mortality worldwide. People should keep a distance of at least two meters from each other and avoid crowded places and unnecessary social gatherings This public health provision has been reported to affect the physical and mental functional aspects of older adults. This study investigates the relationship between the FGO and current psychological condition after the second wave of COVID-19 in community-dwelling older adults in Japan. Conclusion: Community-dwelling older adults may have experienced a decrease in the frequency of going out and a detrimental effect on their psychological condition after the COVID-19 pandemic. This finding may inform strategies to identify priorities for psychological approaches altered by COVID-19 to prevent confinement and stress in older adults
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