Social isolation, social support, and psychological distress among the elderly during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study from central India.

Abstract

In the present COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing measures have been advised to protect elderly from infection which might have led to poor mental health state. A cross-sectional study was carried out to assess the magnitude of social isolation, social support, and psychological distress among the elderly during the COVID-19 pandemic in Central India. The estimated sample size was 1535. The sample was equally distributed among rural, semiurban, and urban strata of districts. Social isolation was measured using Lubben's Social Network Scale-Revised, and psychological distress was assessed using Kessler K10 Psychological Distress Scale. Other parameters such as a history of COVID-19 illness and COVID-19 vaccination were assessed. The prevalence of social isolation was higher at 23.6% during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to before the pandemic period (15.0%). The majority perceived a high level of social support during the pandemic (55.3%) and 39.9% received moderate support. Overall, 18.4% of the respondents had psychological distress. Out of them, 56.2% had mild distress, 20.1% had moderate distress, and 23.7% had severe distress. Significant predictors of psychological distress were female gender, lower socioeconomic status, history of COVID-19 disease among the participants, social isolation, and lack of social support. Social isolation and lack of social support were significant predictors of psychological distress among the elderly during the pandemic.