The covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the mental health of older people living in the community, those who feel lonely fare much worse, new research from McMaster University.
Using data from Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA), a national team of researchers found that 43% of adults aged 50 and over had moderate or high levels of depressive symptoms at the onset of the pandemic and that they increased over time.
Loneliness was the most important predictor of worsening depressive symptoms, other pandemic-related stressors such as family conflict also increasing the odds. The study was published in the journal Natural aging.
The research was led by Parminder Raina, Professor in the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, and Scientific Director of the McMaster Institute for Research on Aging.
“The covid-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on the elderly, with already marginalized groups of people feeling a much greater negative impact,” he said. Raina, principal investigator of CLSA.
“Those who were socially isolated, in poor health, and of lower socioeconomic status were more likely to have depression worse than their pre-pandemic depression collected as part of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging since 2011” , he added.
The research team included key investigators from the CLSA, Christina wolfson, by McGill University, Susan kirkland, Dalhousie University, Lauren Griffith, McMaster, as well as a national team of investigators.
They used data from telephone and web surveys to examine how health-related factors and social determinants, such as income and social participation, impacted the prevalence of depressive symptoms during the initial blockade initiated in March 2020 and after reopening after the first wave of covid-19. in Canada.
Family responsibilities, family separation, family conflict and loneliness were associated with a greater likelihood of moderate or high levels of depressive symptoms that worsened over time.
Women were also more likely to be more likely to experience depressive symptoms during the pandemic than men, and more women reported separation from family, longer length of care, and barriers to care.
Overall, seniors were twice as likely to show symptoms of depression during the pandemic than before the pandemic. But those with lower incomes and poor health, due to pre-existing health issues or health issues reported during the pandemic, have suffered a greater impact.
“These results suggest that the negative impacts of the pandemic on mental health persist and may worsen over time and underscore the need for tailored interventions to address the stressors of the pandemic and mitigate its impact on health. mental health of the elderly, ”he added. Raina.
The findings mark the first published research on covid-19 to emerge from CLSA, a national aging research platform involving more than 50,000 middle-aged adults and seniors living in the community at the time of recruitment.
The platform is funded by the Government of Canada through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Canada Foundation for Innovation.
About the Author
Rubens by Fraga Junior he is professor of gerontology at the Faculdade Evangélica Mackenzie do Paraná. Doctor specializing in geriatrics and gerontology by the SBGG.
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