Abstract
Objectives: The spread of COVID-19 has undeniably unsettled the social, psychological and emotional life of the entire world population. Particular attention should be paid to older adults with dementia, given their vulnerability to emotional stressors. The aim of this retrospective study is to evaluate the impact of the first wave quarantine related to Covid-19 on psychological and affective well-being of older adults with mild/major neurocognitive disorders and of their caregivers.Methods: Data on participants' assessment before the quarantine (PREQ) were retrospectively collected. Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) or dementia were recruited from different Centers for Cognitive Decline and Dementia in Italy. During the quarantine, psychological and affective well-being were evaluated by phone through the administrations of scales measuring anxiety and depression (DASS), perceived stress (PSS), coping strategies (COPE) and the caregivers' burden (CBI). The scales' results were compared across participants' PREQ cognitive level (Mini Mental State Examination, MMSE ≥25, 23–24, and ≤ 22) with multiple linear regression models.Results: The sample included 168 patients (64% women) with a mean age of 79 ± 7 years. After adjusting for potential confounders, more severe cognitive impairment was independently associated with higher DASS and PSS score, and poorer coping strategies (p < 0.05). Cognitive functioning was also inversely associated with CBI.Conclusions: The impact of the quarantine on the psycho-affective well-being of individuals with MCI and dementia and on caregivers' burden varies according to the PREQ cognitive functioning with more severely impaired patients having worse outcomes.
Highlights
The Italian population, as well as the entire world, is in a delicate historical phase as the spread of novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) is requiring important clinical, social and economic interventions in order to limit escalation of the disease and safeguard individuals’ health
After adjusting for potential confounders, more severe cognitive impairment was independently associated with higher DASS and perceived stress (PSS) score, and poorer coping strategies (p < 0.05)
The impact of the quarantine on the psycho-affective well-being of individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and dementia and on caregivers’ burden varies according to the participants’ assessment before the quarantine (PREQ) cognitive functioning with more severely impaired patients having worse outcomes
Summary
The Italian population, as well as the entire world, is in a delicate historical phase as the spread of novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) is requiring important clinical, social and economic interventions in order to limit escalation of the disease and safeguard individuals’ health. An increasing number of studies are documenting the impact of COVID-19 itself and of the forced social isolation on psychological wellbeing [2,3,4]. In this context, it has been recently highlighted the importance of drawing attention to the psychological consequences of the pandemic on older adults. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of spring 2020 lockdown period in Italy due to COVID-19 on psychological and affective well-being of older adults with different levels of cognitive impairment and of their caregivers. We hypothesized that the COVID-19 quarantine may have had a stronger impact on individuals with worse cognitive performance in terms of affective symptoms and coping strategies and on their caregivers in terms of perceived burden
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
