Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Aging & Biopsychosocial Innovations Program, Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Aging Ment Health. 2023 Jul-Aug;27(8):1576-1583. doi: 10.1080/13607863.2023.2193553. Epub 2023 Apr 5.
The COVID-19 pandemic may have a negative impact on mental health, especially among older adults with chronic conditions who are more vulnerable to severe illness. In this qualitative study, we evaluated how the pandemic has impacted the ways that adults aged 50 and older with chronic conditions managed their mental health.
A total of 492 adults ( = 64.95 years, = 8.91, range = 50-94) who lived in Michigan (82.1%) and 33 other U.S. states completed one anonymous online survey between 14 May 14 and 9 July 2020. Open-ended responses were coded to ascertain relevant concepts and were reduced to develop major themes.
We determined four main themes. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted how participants took care of their mental health through: (1) pandemic-related barriers to social interaction; (2) pandemic-related routine changes; (3) pandemic-related stress; and (4) pandemic-related changes to mental health service use.
This study indicates that older adults with chronic conditions experienced various challenges to managing their mental health in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also showed considerable resilience. The findings identify potential targets of personalized interventions to preserve their well-being during this pandemic and in future public health crises.
COVID-19 大流行可能对心理健康产生负面影响，尤其是在慢性病老年患者中，他们更容易患上重病。在这项定性研究中，我们评估了 COVID-19 大流行如何影响 50 岁及以上患有慢性病的成年人管理心理健康的方式。
共有 492 名成年人（ = 64.95 岁， = 8.91，范围 50-94），其中 82.1%来自密歇根州，其余 33 名来自美国其他州，他们于 2020 年 5 月 14 日至 7 月 9 日期间完成了一项匿名在线调查。对开放式回答进行编码以确定相关概念，并进行简化以形成主要主题。
我们确定了四个主要主题。COVID-19 大流行通过以下方式影响参与者照顾自己的心理健康：（1）与社交互动相关的大流行障碍；（2）与大流行相关的日常生活变化；（3）与大流行相关的压力；以及（4）与大流行相关的心理健康服务使用变化。
这项研究表明，慢性病老年患者在 COVID-19 大流行的早期经历了各种管理心理健康的挑战，但也表现出相当大的适应力。研究结果确定了个性化干预措施的潜在目标，以在大流行期间和未来的公共卫生危机中保护他们的福祉。
