scholarly journals COVID-19 as a Stressor: Pandemic Expectations, Perceived Stress, and Negative Affect in Older Adults

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brenda R Whitehead
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Stress And Coping ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
And Coping

Abstract Objectives The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic is appraised as a stressor influences perceived stress (PS) and psychological well-being during the event. Here, the association of older adults’ expectations concerning the pandemic’s duration and impact with PS and negative affect (NA) is investigated. Based on the stress and coping framework, PS is expected to mediate the association between COVID-19 expectations and NA. Methods Seven hundred fourteen residents of the United States and aged 60 and older completed an anonymous online survey in late March 2020 reporting PS, NA, and expectations regarding the pandemic. Results Regression analyses controlling for demographic factors revealed that more dire pandemic expectations significantly predicted PS and NA directly, and the effects on NA were significantly mediated by PS. Discussion Findings provide evidence that expectations about a pandemic influence the extent to which older adults experience stress and NA in the midst of a pandemic event. Implications for mental health are discussed.

scholarly journals The COVID-19 Pandemic and Psychosocial Outcomes across Age through the Stress and Coping Framework

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jillian Minahan ◽  
Francesca Falzarano ◽  
Neshat Yazdani ◽  
Karen L Siedlecki
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Coping Style ◽  
Psychosocial Outcomes ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Stress And Coping ◽  
Related Stress ◽  
And Coping ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Background and Objectives The emergence of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the measures implemented to curb its spread may have deleterious effects on mental health. Older adults may be at increased risk for adverse psychosocial outcomes since opportunities to remain socially connected have diminished. Research is needed to better understand the impact of pandemic-related stress on mental health. The purpose of this study is three-fold: 1) to examine the influences of COVID-19 pandemic-related stress on depression, anxiety, and loneliness, 2) to assess the mediating role of coping style and social support, and 3) to investigate whether these relationships vary across age. Research Design and Methods Participants (N = 1,318) aged 18-92 years completed an online survey assessing pandemic-related stress, mental health, social support, coping, and their experiences with social distancing, during the initial implementation of social distancing measures in the United States. Results Social support and coping style were found to relate to psychosocial outcomes. Avoidant coping was the strongest mediator of the relationship between pandemic-related stress and psychosocial outcomes, particularly depression. Avoidant coping more strongly mediated the relationship between stress and depression in younger adults compared to older adults. Discussion and Implications Results were consistent with the stress and coping framework and recent work highlighting older adults’ resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings highlight the associations between positive coping behaviors and psychosocial well-being and indicate that older adults may use unique adaptive mechanisms to preserve well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals Stress, functioning, and coping during the COVID-19 pandemic: Results from an online convenience sample

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alayna Park ◽  
Clarissa V. Velez ◽  
Kamini Kannan ◽  
Bruce F. Chorpita
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Behavioral Activation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
The United States ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Managing Stress ◽  
And Coping

This study explored how individuals living in the United States were experiencing and responding to stress related to the COVID-19 pandemic in May 2020. Participants (N = 408; 60% non-Hispanic White) completed an online survey regarding traumatic stress, functional impairment, and use of and perceived helpfulness of various coping strategies. Results showed that 37% of participants endorsed clinically-elevated PTSD symptoms. Approximately half of participants reported changes in their daily functioning from before the pandemic to present, most notably in their number of social interactions, physical activity, and time spent working. To cope, participants reported engaging in safety planning and behavioral activation, which they also perceived to be helpful in managing stress. Avoidance coping strategies involving use of alcohol, tobacco products, or recreational substances were infrequently endorsed and perceived to be minimally helpful. These findings offer an initial, data-based glimpse into the mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and shed light onto opportunities for promoting mental health and well-being during this unprecedented and multifaceted crisis.

scholarly journals Examining the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Psychosocial Outcomes across Age: A Stress and Coping Framework

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 944-945
Author(s):  
Jillian Minahan ◽  
Francesca Falzarano ◽  
Neshat Yazdani ◽  
Karen Siedlecki
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Psychosocial Outcomes ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Stress And Coping ◽  
Related Stress ◽  
And Coping ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract The emergence of COVID-19 and the measures implemented to curb its spread are anticipated to have long-term implications for mental health. Older adults may be at increased risk for adverse mental health outcomes as opportunities to remain socially connected have diminished. Further research is needed to better understand the impact of pandemic-related stress on mental health. Utilizing the stress and coping framework, the purpose of this study is three-fold: 1) to examine the influences of COVID-19-related stress on depression, anxiety, and loneliness, 2) to assess the mediating role of coping style and social support, and 3) to investigate whether these relationships vary across age. Participants (N = 1,318) between the ages of 18-92 years completed an online survey, assessing pandemic-related stress, mental health, social support, coping, and their experiences with social distancing, during the initial implementation of social distancing measures in the United States. Stress, social support, and coping style were related to psychosocial outcomes. Results suggested that avoidant coping mediated the relationship between pandemic-related stress and psychosocial outcomes, particularly depression. Avoidant coping more strongly mediated the relationship between stress and depression in younger adults compared to older adults. Results were consistent with the stress and coping framework and recent work highlighting the older adults’ resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings highlight the associations between positive coping behaviors and psychosocial well-being and indicate that older adults may use unique adaptive mechanisms to preserve well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals Age Differences in the Relationship Between Daily Social Media Usage and Affect

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 410-410
Author(s):  
Xin Yao Lin ◽  
Margie Lachman
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Media Usage ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Daily Time

Abstract Social media platforms allow people to connect and share content online (e.g., Facebook, Twitter). Although older adults are becoming more frequent users of social media, there continue to be mixed views on whether social media positively or negatively impacts well-being. Past studies have mainly focused on cross-sectional analyses for individual differences. However, both the time spent on social media and one’s affect can fluctuate on a daily basis. Thus, it is important to understand how the relationship between daily social media usage and affect varies within individuals from day to day. The current study adds to the literature by examining whether daily variations in time spent with social media are related to daily positive and negative affect and whether there are age differences in these relationships. The current study used an eight-day daily diary from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) Refresher dataset for 782 participants (ages 25-75). Multilevel modeling results revealed that age moderated the relationship between daily time spent on social media and negative affect: for younger adults, on days when they spent more time on social media, they had more negative affect. For older adults, on days when they spent more time on social media, they had less negative affect. Surprisingly, daily time spent on social media was not related to daily positive affect, nor did this relationship differ by age. Implications for future research are discussed with a focus on how social media usage can contribute to daily well-being for adults of different ages.

scholarly journals Psychological Distress Among the U.S. General Population During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christi J. Guerrini ◽  
Sophie C. Schneider ◽  
Andrew G. Guzick ◽  
Gifty N. Amos Nwankwo ◽  
Isabel Canfield ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Healthy Behaviors ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Clinically Significant ◽  
Amazon's Mechanical Turk

The COVID-19 pandemic is taking a significant global toll on emotional well-being, but evidence of mental health impacts in the United States remains limited. In April 2020, we conducted an exploratory survey of U.S. residents to understand prevalence of and factors associated with psychological distress during the pandemic. Data collection was conducted using Qualtrics, an online survey platform, and U.S. adult respondents were recruited via Amazon's Mechanical Turk platform. Among 1,366 respondents, 42% (n = 571) reported clinically significant anxiety and 38% (n = 519) reported clinically significant depression. Factors associated with anxiety and depressive symptoms included Hispanic/Latino ethnicity; younger age; lower income; employment as or living with a health care worker-first responder; caregiver status; SARS-CoV-2 infection status; decreased frequency of engagement in healthy behaviors; and changed frequency of engagement in unhealthy behaviors. That some of these factors are associated with elevated distress during the pandemic is not yet widely appreciated and might be useful in informing management of mental health care resources.

scholarly journals A faith-based mind–body intervention to improve psychosocial well-being among rural adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 546-554
Author(s):  
Scherezade K Mama ◽  
Nishat Bhuiyan ◽  
Melissa J Bopp ◽  
Lorna H McNeill ◽  
Eugene J Lengerich ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Underserved Populations ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Faith Based ◽  
Rural Adults

Abstract Churches are well positioned to promote better mental health outcomes in underserved populations, including rural adults. Mind–body (MB) practices improve psychological well-being yet are not widely adopted among faith-based groups due to conflicting religious or practice beliefs. Thus, “Harmony & Health” (HH) was developed as a culturally adapted MB intervention to improve psychosocial health in urban churchgoers and was adapted and implemented in a rural church. The purpose of this study was to explore the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of HH to reduce psychosocial distress in rural churchgoers. HH capitalized on an existing church partnership to recruit overweight or obese (body mass index [BMI] ≥25.0 kg/m2) and insufficiently active adults (≥18 years old). Eligible adults participated in an 8 week MB intervention and completed self-reported measures of perceived stress, depressive symptoms, anxiety, and positive and negative affect at baseline and postintervention. Participants (mean [M] age = 49.1 ± 14.0 years) were mostly women (84.8%), non-Hispanic white (47.8%) or African American (45.7%), high socioeconomic status (65.2% completed ≥bachelor degree and 37.2% reported an annual household income ≥$80,000), and obese (M BMI = 32.6 ± 5.8 kg/m2). Participants reported lower perceived stress (t = −2.399, p = .022), fewer depressive symptoms (t = −3.547, p = .001), and lower negative affect (t = −2.440, p = .020) at postintervention. Findings suggest that HH was feasible, acceptable, and effective at reducing psychosocial distress in rural churchgoers in the short-term. HH reflects an innovative approach to intertwining spirituality and MB practices to improve physical and psychological health in rural adults, and findings lend to our understanding of community-based approaches to improve mental health outcomes in underserved populations.

scholarly journals Age Moderates Perceived COVID-19 Disruption on Well-Being

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Knepple Carney ◽  
Allyson S Graf ◽  
Grace Hudson ◽  
Ellen Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Design And Methods

Abstract Background and Objectives It is not fully understood how large-scale events affect well-being. Older adults showed the highest levels of resilience following the September 11th (9/11) terrorist attacks, but during the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak, there were no age-related differences in well-being. The current study examined the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) disruption on well-being throughout adulthood. Research Design and Methods Perceived stress and affect were examined in 166 community-dwelling adults (Mage = 35.65; SD = 15.53; range = 18–79) in relation to the perceived disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic to their lives. Results A significant moderation was found for age and COVID-19 disruption on perceived stress [F(5, 153) = 8.88, p < .05, R2 = .22] and negative affect [F(5, 154) = 4.91, p < .05, R2 = .14], but not for positive affect. For participants over 50, those who rated COVID-19 as a low or high disruption had similar scores on stress and negative affect, but with younger aged participants, perceiving high disruption corresponded with higher levels of stress and negative affect. Discussion and Implications Findings are consistent with the strength and vulnerability integration (SAVI) model, wherein older adults try to maintain positive emotional well-being, with middle-aged and older adults in the current study having experienced less negative impact on well-being. Middle-aged and older adults may be better able to regulate negative emotions from COVID-19 than younger adults. SAVI proposes a greater negative impact on older adults when they experience sustained stressors; as the challenges with COVID-19 continue, further data will need to be examined.

scholarly journals When altruists cannot help: The influence of altruism on mental health during COVID-19 pandemic

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Feng ◽  
Dan Dong ◽  
Min Zong ◽  
Zhizun Yang ◽  
Zhihong Qiao
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Perceived Risk ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Valuable Insight

Abstract Background The positive predictive effect of altruism on physical and psychological well-being has been extensively demonstrated in previous studies, but few studies have examined the effect of altruism on negative mental health outcomes when altruists cannot perform altruistic behaviors. This study explored the influence of altruism on negative affect and mental health (anxiety and depression) during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, when people self-isolated at home in China.Method: College students were recruited via a cross-sectional online survey during the outbreak of COVID-19 in China. Self-reported perceived risk, altruism, negative affect, anxiety and depressive symptoms were measured using the Self-Report Altruism Scale (SRA), the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) and the 9-item PHQ depression scale (PHQ-9). A structural equation model was used to analyze the mediating and moderating effects on mental health.Results The final sample comprised 1346 Chinese participants (Mage = 19.76 ± 2.23 years, 73% female). Overall, the higher risk people perceived, the more negative affect they exhibited (β = 0.16, p < .001); thus, the more anxious and depressed they felt (β = 0.134, p < .001), but this relationship between risk perception and negative affect was moderated by altruism. Paradoxical to previous studies, the increase in negative affect associated with increased perceived risk was pronounced among individuals with high altruism ( t = 7.68, p < .001).Conclusions Individuals with high altruism exhibited more negative affect, indirectly increasing their anxiety and depressive symptoms. The findings enrich the theory of altruism and provide valuable insight into the influence of altruism on mental health during the COVID-19 outbreak.

scholarly journals 204 - Psychological distress and support needs of community residing older adults in urban India – An exploratory study

2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. 8-9
Author(s):  
Jayashree Dasgupta ◽  
Meenakshi Chopra
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Support Needs ◽  
Urban India ◽  
And Coping

Background:COVID pandemic in India, lockdowns and an unprepared health system has affected wellbeing of older adults. Low public awareness about mental health issues and stigma also contribute to low help seeking. Exploring impact of COVID on mental health of older adults and understanding support needs is essential.Research Objective:To examine mental wellbeing and coping strategies used by urban community residing older adults during the pandemic in India.Method:As part of an ongoing community engagement initiative with older adults and their families, an online survey was conducted during the first wave of the pandemic in April/May 2020. Sociodemographic details and information on coping strategies were gathered. The five-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) was used to screen for psychological distress and data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Respondents were contacted again in May 2021 during the second COVID wave for a telephonic interview to understand current levels of distress and coping strategies. Consent was taken for audio recording and interviews were conducted using a semi-structured interview guide. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis.Preliminary results of the ongoing study:Respondents (N=54) aged between 40-86 years (Mn = 60; SD = 18.9). Majority were male (61%), retired or homemakers (57%) and widowed/unmarried (52%). Of the sample 70% had one or more pre-existing medical conditions. A score of ≥ 2 on GHQ in 66% respondents indicates psychological distress. Stressors included health and well-being of family (62%), difficulty managing household work (42%) and increase in family conflicts (17%). Although 72% discussed their worries with family/friends, only 25% considered speaking with a mental health professional indicating low help seeking. Of respondents contacted again, 40% citied ill health or being busy as reasons for refusal to participate. Of those who agreed, 33% reported psychological distress. In-depth interviews, showed use of online mental wellness sessions and yoga/meditation to be beneficial coping strategies. Need for more online support groups was also highlighted.Conclusion:Psychological distress is present amongst community residing older adults in urban India. A change in attitude towards tele mental health must be leveraged to provide support for adults experiencing psychological distress.

scholarly journals COVID-19 Pandemic and Personality: Agreeable People Are More Stressed by the Feeling of Missing

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (20) ◽  
pp. 10759
Author(s):  
Stephan Getzmann ◽  
Jan Digutsch ◽  
Thomas Kleinsorge
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Big Five ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Big Five Personality Traits ◽  
Big Five Personality ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Related Individual

The COVID-19 pandemic and the measures taken to contain it have substantial consequences for many people, resulting in negative effects on individual well-being and mental health. In the current study, we examined whether individual changes in perceived stress relative to pre-pandemic levels depended on differences in behavior, appraisal, and experience of pandemic-related constraints. In addition, we tested whether this potential relationship was moderated by personality traits. We conducted an online survey during the end of the first lockdown in Germany in spring 2020, and assessed pandemic-related individual consequences as well as perceived stress. These data were related to the big five personality traits and to ratings of perceived stress obtained from the same participants in a study conducted before the outbreak of the pandemic, using the same standardized stress questionnaires. There was no overall increase, but a large interindividual variety in perceived stress relative to pre-pandemic levels. Increased stress was associated especially with strong feelings of missing. This relationship was moderated by agreeableness, with more agreeable people showing a higher association of the feeling of missing and the increase of perceived stress. In addition, openness and conscientiousness were positively correlated with an increase in stress. The results highlight the importance of considering personality and individual appraisals when examining the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on perceived stress and well-being.

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