How do European Mature Adults and Elderly Perceive SARS-COV-2 and Associated Control Measures? A Cross-Country Analysis of Mental Health Symptoms in June and July 2020.

Julian Perelman,Pedro Pita Barros,Miguel Xavier

doi:10.3389/ijph.2022.1604218

Julian Perelman, Pedro Pita Barros + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/ijph.2022.1604218

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Abstract

Objectives: Recent literature points out that elderly people are psychologically resilient to COVID-19, but the studies were performed in specific contexts. We measured the link between the worsening of mental health symptoms, the epidemiologic situation, and control measures among European people aged 50 or older. Methods: We used data from the 2020 wave of SHARE, merged with Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker data (n = 38,358). We modeled the risk of worsening of depression, anxiety, sleeping trouble, and loneliness symptoms’ self-perception, as functions of control measures and 7-days death incidence, using logistic regressions. Results: The worsening of anxiety and depression perception were more common (16.2 and 23.1%, respectively), compared to that of sleeping troubles and loneliness (8.1 and 11.5%, respectively). The worsening of depression and anxiety perception was negatively related to the rigor of control measures. The seven-days death incidence was positively linked to all symptoms except sleeping troubles. Conclusion: Older people were the most exposed to death risk and were affected psychologically by the COVID-19 epidemiological situation; yet control measures were protective (or neutral) to their mental health condition.

Highlights

The recent literature has pointed out that elderly people were resilient to SARS-COV-2 (COVID-19) and to the control measures implemented to combat the pandemic
Arguments were that elderly people would better cope with isolation, and that this was related to the ability to maintain meaningful relationships and to a greater “wisdom” comprising emotional regulation, empathy and acceptance of uncertainty [1]
The authors attributed the absence of deterioration to the low death incidence, the adequate hospital response, and the weak restriction model adopted in Netherlands

Summary

Introduction

The recent literature has pointed out that elderly people were resilient to SARS-COV-2 (COVID-19) and to the control measures implemented to combat the pandemic. A study on three cohorts in the Netherlands compared mental health disorders in April and May 2020 to those observed in previous waves (between 2006 and 2016) [2]. Among those without previous mental health disorders, a modest increase in depression, anxiety, and loneliness scores was observed, while no change was measured among those with previously diagnosed disorders. A longitudinal study on Dutch people older than 62 observed that, despite the increase in emotional loneliness, depression and anxiety did not worsen in May 2020 compared to October–November 2019 [3]. The authors attributed the absence of deterioration to the low death incidence, the adequate hospital response, and the weak restriction model adopted in Netherlands

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