Abstract
BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic poses a challenge to people’s day-to-day functioning and emotional and physical health, especially among older adults.ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to analyze gender differences in state anxiety, daily functional self-actualization, and functional cognition as well as the relationships among those factors in older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.MethodsWe collected data on the web from a sample of 204 people (102 men and 102 women) aged 60 years and older. In addition to a demographic questionnaire, we used the State-Trait Personality Inventory to assess state anxiety, the Daily Functional Actualization questionnaire to evaluate daily functional self-actualization, and the Daily Living Questionnaire to measure functional cognition.ResultsSignificant gender differences were found for state anxiety (t202=−2.36, P=.02); daily functional self-actualization (t202=2.15, P=.03); and the functional cognition components: complex tasks (Z=−3.07, P=.002); cognitive symptoms that might be interfering (Z=−2.15, P=.028); executive functions (Z=−2.21, P=.024); and executive function monitoring (Z=−2.21, P=.027). Significant medium correlations were found between both state anxiety level and daily functional self-actualization (r=−0.62, P<.001) and functional cognition (r=0.37-0.40, P<.001). Gender predicted 3% of the variance in state anxiety level, while daily functional self-actualization predicted 41% and complex activities (Daily Living Questionnaire) predicted an additional 3% (F3,200=58.01, P<.001).ConclusionsIn older adults, anxiety is associated with cognitive decline, which may harm daily functional abilities and lead to social isolation, loneliness, and decreased well-being. Self-awareness and knowledge of gender differences and relationships between common available resources of daily functional self-actualization and functional cognition with anxiety may be strengthening factors in crisis periods such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Highlights
The COVID-19 pandemic poses a challenge to people's day-to-day functioning and constitutes a meaningful factor related to their emotional and physical health [1,2]
In older adults, anxiety is associated with cognitive decline, which may harm daily functional abilities and lead to social isolation, loneliness, and decreased well-being
No significant correlations were found between marital status or being retirement and any of the main research variable scores
Summary
Background The COVID-19 pandemic poses a challenge to people's day-to-day functioning and constitutes a meaningful factor related to their emotional and physical health [1,2]. Reports of illness and death, and social isolation, especially during lockdown, may lead people to feel sadness, depression, and anxiety and to decrease their daily functioning [3,4]. Among older adults, this situation is especially worrisome. Some studies have focused on mental health of older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis These studies evidenced increased depression symptoms and anxiety stress among older persons, with higher levels of distress found among women [7,8,9]. The COVID-19 pandemic poses a challenge to people’s day-to-day functioning and emotional and physical health, especially among older adults
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