The psychological impacts of COVID-19 outbreak among older adults

Year 2022, Volume: 15 Issue: 2, 345 - 354, 01.04.2022

Bengü Yücens , Ahmet Büber

https://doi.org/10.31362/patd.1040339

Cited By: 1

Abstract

Purpose: The COVID-19 outbreak and the quarantine period had important psychosocial consequences. This study aimed to reveal the effects of the outbreak on anxiety and depression symptoms in older people and the factors associated with these symptoms.
Materials and methods: Three hundred six people over the age of 65 were included in this study. Sociodemographic data form containing questions related to COVID-19 such as whether there is a health worker in their first-degree relatives, whether they have had COVID-19, whether there is a decrease in the frequency of physical activity and Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS) were applied in the online survey.
Results: The mean age of the participants was 69.46±4.69 (167 women, 54.6%). Twenty-nine (9.5%) of the participants reported that they had COVID-19, and 247 (80.7%) reported that their physical activity decreased after the outbreak. The frequencies of those with above-threshold scores in depression and anxiety subscales were 28.8% and 28.4%, respectively. The frequency of above-threshold depression sypmtoms was less in those whose first-degree relatives are healthcare worker and more frequently in those with a decrease in daily physical activity. The frequency of above-threshold anxiety symptoms was more common in women, those living in rural areas, and those with low education. In the logistic regression analysis the decrease in physical activity after the epidemic predicted the presence of above-threshold depression symptoms; living in a rural area and having a shorter education level predicted the presence of above-threshold anxiety symptoms. In addition, having a first-degree relative of a healthcare worker was also found to be protective in terms of depression symptom risk.
Conclusion: The COVID-19 outbreak had negative psychological consequences on older adults. While taking precautions to prevent these results, older people living in rural areas with low education should be targeted first, and physical activity should be increased. Knowing these results can guide the prevention and treatment of psychiatric disorders that may occur in older people.

Keywords

Anxiety, depression, elderly, pandemic

COVID-19 salgınının ileri yaştaki kişilerde psikolojik etkileri

Abstract

Amaç: COVID-19 salgınının ve karantina süreçlerinin önemli psikososyal sonuçları olmuştur. Bu çalışmanın amacı ileri yaştaki kişilerde salgın sürecinin anksiyete ve depresyon belirtileri üzerine etkilerinin ve bu belirtiler ile ilişkili faktörlerin ortaya konmasıdır.
Gereç ve yöntem: Online anket yöntemiyle ulaşılan 65 yaş ve üstünde olan 306 kişi çalışmaya dahil edilmiştir. Katılımcılara birinci derece yakınında sağlık çalışanının olup olmadığı, COVID-19 hastalığını geçirip geçirmediği, salgın sonrasında fiziksel aktivitesinde azalma olup olmadığı gibi COVID-19 ile ilişkili soruları da içeren sosyodemografik veri formu ve Hastane Anksiyete Depresyon Ölçeği (HADÖ) uygulanmıştır.
Bulgular: Katılımcıların (167’si kadın, %54,6) yaş ortalaması 69,46±4,69’du. Katılımcıların 29’u (%9,5) COVID-19 geçirdiğini, 247’si (%80,7) salgın sonrasında fiziksel aktivitesinde azalma olduğunu bildirmiştir. Depresyon ve anksiyete alt ölçeklerinden eşik üstü puan alanların sıklıkları sırasıyla %28,8 ve %28,4 olarak saptanmıştır. Eşik üstü depresyon semptomu sıklığı birinci derece yakınlarında sağlık çalışanı olanlarda daha az, fiziksel aktivitesinde azalma olanlarda daha sık; eşik üstü anksiyete semptomu sıklığı ise kadınlarda, kırsal alanlarda yaşayanlarda ve eğitim düzeyi düşük olanlarda daha sık olarak saptanmıştır. Lojistik regresyon analizlerinde salgından sonra fiziksel aktivite azalması eşik üstü depresif semptom varlığını; kırsal alanda yaşamak ve daha kısa süre eğitim almış olmak eşik üstü anksiyete semptomu varlığını öngörmüştür. Ayrıca birinci derece yakınlarında sağlık çalışanı olması da depresyon semptomu riski açısından koruyucu bulunmuştur.
Sonuç: İleri yaştaki kişilerde COVID-19 salgınının olumsuz psikolojik sonuçları olmuştur. Bu sonuçları engelleyebilmek için önlem alınırken kırsal alanda yaşayan, eğitim düzeyi düşük ileri yaşta kişiler öncelikle hedeflenmeli ve fiziksel aktivitelerini artırıcı yöntemler kullanılmalıdır. Bu sonuçlar ileri yaştaki kişilerde ortaya çıkabilecek psikiyatrik bozuklukların önlenmesinde ve tedavisinde yol gösterici olabilir.

Keywords

Anksiyete, depresyon, pandemik, yaşlı

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