Pritzker School of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2023 Apr 1;78(4):629-638. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbac193.
During social isolation imposed by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, older adults with impaired hearing and vision potentially experienced more communication challenges, increasing their risk for poor mental health. Digital communication (e.g., video calls, e-mail/text/social media) may alleviate in-person isolation and protect against depression. We addressed this question using data from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project, a nationally representative panel study of community-dwelling older adults.
Two thousand five hundred fifty-eight adults aged 55 and older comprised the analytic sample. Interviewer rating at baseline (2015-2016) classified those with vision impairment (VI) or hearing impairment (HI). Olfactory impairment (OI) was measured by objective testing. During COVID-19 (2020-2021), respondents reported how often they contacted nonhousehold family or friends and whether this was by phone, e-mail/text/social media, video, or in-person. They also quantified the frequency of depressive feelings.
Older adults with VI or HI but not OI at baseline were significantly less likely to report regular use of video calling and e-mail/text/social media during the pandemic compared to those without impairment. Sensory impairments did not affect the frequency of phone or in-person communication. Adults with VI or HI were more likely to experience frequent depressive feelings during COVID-19. Video calls mitigated this negative effect of VI- and HI-associated depressive feelings in a dose-dependent manner.
Among communication modalities, video calling had a protective effect against depressive feelings for people with sensory impairment during social isolation. Improving access to and usability of video communication for older adults with sensory impairment could be a strategy to improve their mental health.
在 2019 年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行期间实施的社交隔离期间，听力和视力受损的老年人可能面临更多的沟通挑战，增加了他们心理健康状况不佳的风险。数字通信（例如，视频通话、电子邮件/文本/社交媒体）可能缓解面对面隔离并预防抑郁。我们使用来自全国社会生活、健康和老龄化项目的数据来解决这个问题，该项目是一项针对社区居住的老年人的全国代表性小组研究。
2558 名年龄在 55 岁及以上的成年人构成了分析样本。基线时（2015-2016 年）采访者的评估将那些有视力障碍（VI）或听力障碍（HI）的人进行分类。嗅觉障碍（OI）通过客观测试进行测量。在 COVID-19（2020-2021 年）期间，受访者报告了他们与非家庭成员或朋友的联系频率，以及这是通过电话、电子邮件/文本/社交媒体、视频还是面对面进行的。他们还量化了抑郁感的频率。
与没有损伤的人相比，基线时有 VI 或 HI 但没有 OI 的老年人在大流行期间报告定期使用视频通话和电子邮件/文本/社交媒体的可能性明显降低。感官损伤并不影响电话或面对面交流的频率。有 VI 或 HI 的成年人在 COVID-19 期间更有可能经常感到抑郁。视频通话以剂量依赖的方式减轻了 VI 和 HI 相关抑郁感的负面影响。
在沟通方式中，视频通话对于社交隔离期间有感官障碍的人来说，对抑郁感有保护作用。改善有感官障碍的老年人对视频通信的获取和可用性可能是改善他们心理健康的一种策略。
