Abstract
The COVID-19 outbreak could be considered as an uncontrollable stressful life event. Lockdown measures have provoked a disruption of daily life with a great impact over older adults' health and well-being. Nevertheless, eudaimonic well-being plays a protective role in confronting adverse circumstances, such as the COVID-19 situation. This study aims to assess the association between age and psychological well-being (personal growth and purpose in life). Young-old (60-70 years) and old-old (71-80 years) community-dwelling Spaniards (N = 878) completed a survey and reported on their sociodemographic characteristics and their levels of health, COVID-19 stress-related, appraisal, and personal resources. Old-old did not evidence poorer psychological well-being than young-old. Age has only a negative impact on personal growth. The results also suggest that the nature of the COVID-19 impact (except for the loss of a loved one) may not be as relevant for the older adults' well-being as their appraisals and personal resources for managing COVID-related problems. In addition, these results suggest that some sociodemographic and health-related variables have an impact on older adults' well-being. Thus, perceived-health, family functioning, resilience, gratitude, and acceptance had significant associations with both personal growth and purpose in life. Efforts to address older adults' psychological well-being focusing on older adults' personal resources should be considered.
Highlights
The COVID-19 pandemic overspreads around the world and older persons are at high risk
The current study investigated the psychological well-being experienced by young–old and old–old adults during the COVID-19 crisis and the variables associated
According to Brandtstädter and Renner (1990), older people tend to apply accommodative strategies as a way of coping with new situations. The application of this type of strategies can explain the reduction of personal growth with age, since its implementation generates an adjustment of preferences and goals that, not intentional, makes the subject adequately adapt to the new situation, reducing the perception of situational restrictions or insufficient personal resources to achieve previously valued goals
Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic overspreads around the world and older persons are at high risk. Spain has emerged as one of the most affected countries with a high prevalence rate. The virus can affect everybody, older adults are a vulnerable population (Verity et al, 2020). Research has documented the negative consequences of COVID-19, both physically and psychologically. COVID-19 outbreak is a loss and potentially traumatic event. Research has been dominated by a psychopathological approach, people showed heterogeneity of outcomes following a loss and adverse events (Flint et al, 2020)
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