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Introduction: The study examined age-related differences between young and older adults’ emotional and psychological experience as well as cognitive functioning throughout different phases of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy.
Materials and Methods: Participants were interviewed by phone when confined at home during the national lockdown (T1-May 2020;...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... adults reported lower negative emotions than younger adults. Overall, participants reported higher negative emotions at T1 than at T2 (see Table 1). ...Context 2
... adults reported lower emotional loneliness than younger adults. All participants reported higher emotional loneliness at T1 compared to T2 (see Table 1). The Age group × Time interaction was significant (see Table 1 For the Social loneliness scale, no significant effects emerged (see Table 1). ...Context 3
... participants reported higher emotional loneliness at T1 compared to T2 (see Table 1). The Age group × Time interaction was significant (see Table 1 For the Social loneliness scale, no significant effects emerged (see Table 1). ...Context 4
... participants reported higher emotional loneliness at T1 compared to T2 (see Table 1). The Age group × Time interaction was significant (see Table 1 For the Social loneliness scale, no significant effects emerged (see Table 1). ...Context 5
... the Resilience scale, results showed only a significant main effect of Age group. Older adults reported higher resilience than younger adults (see Table 1). ...Context 6
... for the Backward Digit Span task, results showed only a significant main effect of Age group with younger adults outperforming older adults (see Table 1). ...Context 7
... significant main effect of Time also emerged for both the immediate and delayed recall. Participants recalled fewer words during the lockdown (T1) than at T2 (see Table 1). ...Context 8
... adults reported lower negative emotions than younger adults. Overall, participants reported higher negative emotions at T1 than at T2 (see Table 1). ...Context 9
... adults reported lower emotional loneliness than younger adults. All participants reported higher emotional loneliness at T1 compared to T2 (see Table 1). The Age group × Time interaction was significant (see Table 1 For the Social loneliness scale, no significant effects emerged (see Table 1). ...Context 10
... participants reported higher emotional loneliness at T1 compared to T2 (see Table 1). The Age group × Time interaction was significant (see Table 1 For the Social loneliness scale, no significant effects emerged (see Table 1). ...Context 11
... participants reported higher emotional loneliness at T1 compared to T2 (see Table 1). The Age group × Time interaction was significant (see Table 1 For the Social loneliness scale, no significant effects emerged (see Table 1). ...Context 12
... the Resilience scale, results showed only a significant main effect of Age group. Older adults reported higher resilience than younger adults (see Table 1). ...Context 13
... for the Backward Digit Span task, results showed only a significant main effect of Age group with younger adults outperforming older adults (see Table 1). ...Similar publications
Background: The current mental health state of healthcare professionals and students during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ecuador remains understudied and how to improve their mental health is a challenge.
Objective: This study aimed to explore the anxiety and depressive symptomatology among healthcare students and professionals in Ecuador and to examin...
Citations
... Several studies indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact, albeit temporary, on the personality profile, well-being, and educational performance of secondary school students. This impact is attributed to cognitive decrease observed during the period of confinement [6,34,35]. Hammerstein [36] indicates that cognitive regression is primarily caused by social isolation resulting from the emergence of social confinement. This isolation significantly affects the risks of anxiety and depression, even after individuals have become accustomed to the environmental changes in their lifestyle. ...
This study aims to assess whether students’ learning styles have changed due to the environmental context changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. This analysis is important because learning styles, in addition to predicting vocational outcomes, must inform the design of pedagogical practices and supports used in the teaching environment. To achieve this objective, a cross-sectional analysis was conducted on three cohorts of students who enrolled in an engineering course. Students in group 2 have been under confinement conditions during the previous year, while students in group 3 have been under confinement conditions for the previous two years. Group 1 consists of students who did not experience any confinement. The obtained results lead to the following conclusions: (i) The pandemic outbreak has led to environmental changes, pedagogical practices, and changes in the personality profiles of students, which can significantly impact the learning styles of students entering an engineering degree. (ii) While some learning styles are more susceptible to change, others remain resilient. (iii) The duration of exposure to the environmental changes caused by the pandemic outbreak has a greater impact on the changes in these learning styles.
... Studies revealed that older adults tend to report greater emotional well-being than younger people [19,20] and better coping strategies [21]. The latter may be due to the fact that the ability of young people to cope with distressed situations and emotions may not be fully developed yet [22,23]. Research further showed that the elderly had less negativity towards the COVID-19 crisis than younger adults [24]. ...
Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown periods had a significant negative impact on people’s lives and psychological well-being. However, the impact of lockdowns differed between individuals. This study aimed to identify vulnerable groups and investigated the relationship between mood and perceived immune fitness and the number and severity of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) symptoms during the first COVID-19 lockdown in the Netherlands. In addition, the impact of emotion regulation and other preventive measures was considered. The aim of the study was to identify possible differences according to sex, age, and the presence of underlying disease. A two-part online survey among N = 1415 individuals of the Dutch population (18 to 94 years old) was conducted in the summer of 2020. N = 541 of these participants also completed part 2 of the survey. A series of questionnaires was completed on mood, quality of life, lifestyle, immune fitness, and the number and severity of COVID-19 symptoms. Retrospectively, the period before the first lockdown (15 January–14 March 2020) was compared with the first lockdown (15 March–11 May 2020). The analysis revealed that the lockdown period was associated with significantly poorer mood, poorer immune fitness, and reduced quality of life. Poorer mood was associated with a significantly reduced immune fitness and a significant increase in the number and severity of COVID-19 symptoms. Mood changes did not differ significantly between men and women. Some mood effects were significantly more pronounced for individuals with underlying diseases (depression, fatigue, and stress) and younger individuals (depression and loneliness). Regarding lifestyle factors, no significant lockdown effects were seen according to underlying disease status. During the lockdown period, women reported a decline in nutrition scores, which was not seen in men, whereas they reported receiving more support from family and friends than men. Regarding age, younger individuals reported a significantly greater negative impact on physical activity and being active than the older participants. No differential effects for the groups were found for health correlates. In conclusion, significant negative lockdown effects on mood, quality of life, and immune fitness were observed across the population. The effects were significantly more pronounced among young individuals and those with underlying disease.
... Only a few studies looked at the impact of the early stages of the pandemic on cognitive functioning in older adults. Overall, they showed a decline in long-term memory 13 associated with pandemic-related worries, and mild declines in subjective cognitive functioning 14 . From this, we can conclude that the first peak of the pandemic significantly decreased wellbeing and certain aspects of cognitive functioning to a limited extent. ...
... Specifically for older adults, longitudinal studies on wellbeing showed mixed findings. In line with observations for the general population, some studies observed that stress due to isolation and pandemic worry fluctuated with the severity of the pandemic 13,21 . Living with a partner and stronger relationships with family and friends played a protective role in these fluctuations over time 21 . ...
In earlier survey research, we observed a severe impact of the first peak of the COVID-19 pandemic on the subjective wellbeing, sleep and activity of adults aged 65 years or older in Flanders, Belgium. The impact on subjective cognitive functioning, however, was limited. Since then, periods of lockdown and periods with less strict regulations alternated, but social distancing remained, especially for older adults. To study the longer-term impact of the pandemic on wellbeing and subjective cognitive functioning, we re-assessed the older adults from the first measurement moment (May–June 2020) in a second (June–July 2020) and third (December 2020) wave of the survey (n = 371, M = 72 years old, range 65–97 years old). Results indicated that wellbeing fluctuated with the severity of the pandemic. Results for self-reported cognitive functioning were mixed. While participants indicated a slightly better general subjective cognitive functioning at the end of the study, experienced problems with most cognitive subdomains significantly increased over time. The presence of depressive and anxiety symptoms were related to the longer-term impact of the pandemic on wellbeing and subjective cognitive functioning. Our study shows the long-lasting impact of the pandemic on the wellbeing and subjective cognitive functioning of older adults, without full recovery from the first wave.
... Given that age is one of the main risk factors for serious illness or death due to COVID-19 (Esai Selvan, 2020), it is not surprising that it is related to enhanced COVID-19 related distress. In addition, the restrictions imposed on the population affect the daily lives of younger adults (i.e., working from home, not being able to go to school or university, resulting in loneliness) differently than older adults (Carbone et al., 2021;Varma et al., 2021), which may result in more general distress in the younger population (e.g., Ribeiro et al., 2021;Rutland-Lawes et al., 2021;Varma et al., 2021;Xiong et al., 2020). Furthermore, women showed higher scores on traumatic stress symptoms, and general stress, which is in line with previous research showing women to be more vulnerable towards (COVID-19 related) mental health problems (Ribeiro et al., 2021;Taylor et al., 2020a;Xiong et al., 2020). ...
Objectives
Trait mindfulness could function as a protective factor against distress. The current study investigated the relationship of the five distinct facets of mindfulness and COVID-19 related distress.
Methods
An online self-report study was conducted in a Dutch sample (N = 811; Mage = 49 ± 17; 54.5 % female) in February 2021. Dispositional mindfulness was assessed with the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, and the COVID Stress Scale was used to assess COVID-19 related distress.
Results
Multivariate regression analyses showed that describing and non-judging were inversely related to COVID-19 related distress. Specifically, describing was related to fewer socioeconomic worries, while describing and non-judging were negatively associated with traumatic stress symptoms. Non-judging was negatively associated with COVID-19-related compulsive checking.
Conclusions
The results indicate that individuals high in mindfulness traits describing and non-judging, experience less distress during the pandemic. Teaching mindfulness skills and practice could be helpful in global situations like pandemics.
... Only a few studies looked at the impact of the early stages of the pandemic on cognitive functioning. Overall, they showed a decline in long-term memory [7] associated with pandemic-related worries, and mild declines in subjective cognitive functioning [8]. ...
... For older adults, longitudinal studies on wellbeing showed mixed ndings. In line with observations for the general population, some studies observed that stress due to isolation and pandemic worry uctuated with the severity of the pandemic [7], [17]. Living with a partner and stronger relationships with family and friends played a protective role in these uctuations over time [17]. ...
... For wellbeing, our results were in line with other research, showing uctuations in wellbeing mimicking uctuations in pandemic severity [7], [17]. However, our study showed that levels of wellbeing during the last phase (M3) were still signi cantly lower than before the pandemic, indicating a sustained impact of the pandemic. ...
In earlier survey research, we observed a severe impact of the first peak of the COVID-19 pandemic on the subjective wellbeing, sleep and activity of adults aged 65 years or older in Flanders, Belgium. The impact on subjective cognitive functioning, however, was limited. Since then, periods of lockdown and periods with less strict regulations alternated, but social distancing remained, especially for older adults. To study the longer-term impact of the pandemic on wellbeing and cognitive functioning, we re-assessed the older adults from the first measurement moment ( n = 371) in a second (June-July 2020) and third (December 2020) wave of the survey. Results indicated that wellbeing fluctuated with the severity of the pandemic. Results for self-reported cognitive functioning were mixed. While participants indicated a slightly better general cognitive functioning at the end of the study, experienced problems with most cognitive subdomains significantly increased over time. The presence of depressive and anxiety symptoms influenced the longer-term impact of the pandemic on wellbeing and cognitive functioning. Our study shows the long-lasting impact of the pandemic on the wellbeing and cognitive functioning of older adults, without full recovery from the first wave.
... Wellness resulting from exposure to the natural environment is both physical and psychological. The latter aspect is one of the impacted factors during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, with differences depending on age [2]. Climate and environmental ...
The post-pandemic era has raised awareness on the importance of physical and psychological well-being for decreasing the vulnerability of both individuals and populations. Citizens in urban areas are subject to numerous stress factors which can be mitigated by green spaces such as parks and gardens. Sensor and internet technologies support nature-based solutions in various ways. In this paper, we show the results of ongoing research on the use of spatially distributed IoT sensors that collect climate data in an ~8 ha urban garden. The novelty resides in the method for merging the IoT data with a detailed 3D model created by a laser scan survey from a drone flight. The end products are 1 m resolution thermal comfort maps of user-defined scenarios, e.g., at specific times or aggregated in daily/monthly/yearly statistics that represent a thermal comfort distribution. For full replicability, the code is open source and available as an R package on Github.
... Some studies, on the contrary, showed lower levels of anxiety and depression, and they motivated this result with a possible higher resilience and coping mechanisms in older people in comparison to the younger population or with a greater acceptance of death with maturity developed by age [24,25]. Moreover, when one considers resilience in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, a few studies have shown that older people seem to better manage their emotional and psychological consequences [26][27][28][29]. ...
The COVID-19 health emergency and restrictive measures have increased psychological
problems, particularly anxiety and depression, in the general population. However, little is known about mental health conditions and the possible risk and protective factors of specific population groups, such as institutionalized vs. community-dwelling elderly. We investigated the abovementioned aspects in a sample of 65–89-year-old people during the third wave of COVID-19 in Italy. We employed a sociodemographic survey and four questionnaires on health-related quality of life (SF-36), loneliness (UCLA), spirituality (FACIT-Sp), and anxiety/depression (HADS). Our findings suggest that the physical, psychological, and spiritual well-being of the elderly had not been seriously impaired by the events related to the pandemic, although most of the participants reported a
worsening of their social life and a moderate/high fear of COVID-19. In regression analyses, these two latter aspects turned out to be predictors of higher anxiety, while spiritual well-being and the possibility to get out of the house/institution emerged as protective factors against anxiety and for preserving quality of life, respectively. Our findings help refine the picture of the condition of the elderly in the aftermath of the pandemic, giving some hints about how to continue supporting their well-being and quality of life.
Background: Older adults are at a greater risk for contracting and experiencing severe illness from COVID-19 and may be further affected by pandemic-related precautions (e.g., social distancing and isolation in quarantine). However, the longitudinal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on older adults is unclear. The current study examines changes in health behaviors, psychosocial factors, and cognitive functioning in a large sample of older adults using a pre-pandemic baseline and longitudinal follow-up throughout 9 months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: One hundred and eighty-nine older adults (ages 65-89) were recruited from a multisite clinical trial to complete additional virtual assessments during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mixed effects models evaluated changes in health behaviors, psychosocial factors, and cognitive functioning during the pandemic compared to a pre-pandemic baseline and over the course of the pandemic (i.e., comparing the first and last COVID-19 timepoints).
Results: Compared to their pre-pandemic baseline, during the pandemic, older adults reported worsened sleep quality, perceived physical health and functioning, mental health, slight increases in depression and apathy symptoms, reduced social engagement/perceived social support, but demonstrated better performance on objective cognitive tasks of attention and working memory. Throughout the course of the pandemic, these older adults reported continued worsening of perceived physical health and function, fewer depression symptoms, and they demonstrated improved cognitive performance. It is important to note that changes on self-report mood measures and cognitive performance were relatively small regarding clinical significance. Education largely served as a protective factor, such that greater years of education was generally associated with better outcomes across domains.
Conclusions: The present study provides insights into the longitudinal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health behaviors, psychosocial factors, and cognitive functioning in a population disproportionately affected by the virus. Replicating this study design in a demographically representative older adult sample is warranted to further inform intervention strategies targeting older adults negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
