Balki Eric, Hayes Niall, Holland Carol
Department of Health Research, Faculty of Health and Medicine, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom.
The Directorate, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United Kingdom.
JMIR Aging. 2023 Nov 24;6:e47729. doi: 10.2196/47729.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, government-mandated social distancing prevented the spread of the disease but potentially exacerbated social isolation and loneliness for older people, especially those already vulnerable to isolation. Older adults may have been able to draw from their personal resources such as psychological resilience (PR) and technology use (TU) to combat such effects. Educational attainment (EA) or early-life EA may potentially shape later-life personal resources and their impact on the effects of the pandemic lockdown on outcomes such as loneliness. The developmental adaptation model allows for the supposition that social isolation, TU, and PR may be affected by early EA in older adults.
This study examined the indirect impact of EA on pandemic-linked loneliness in a sample of older adults. The developmental adaptation model was used as the conceptual framework to view EA as a distal influence on loneliness, social isolation, PR, and TU. We hypothesized that EA would predict TU and PR and have a moderating impact on social isolation and loneliness. We also hypothesized that PR and TU would mediate the effect of EA on loneliness.
This was a cross-sectional observational study, in which data were gathered from 92 older adults aged ≥65 years in the United Kingdom from March 2020 to June 2021, when the country was under various pandemic-linked social mobility restrictions. The data captured demographic information including age, gender, ethnicity, and the highest degree of education achieved. The University of California Los Angeles Loneliness Scale, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Lubben Social Network Index, and Technology Experience Questionnaire were used as standardized measures. Pearson correlation, moderation, and mediation regression analyses were conducted to investigate the hypotheses.
We found a higher prevalence of loneliness in older adults than in prepandemic norms. EA was correlated with greater TU and PR and moderated the impact of social isolation on loneliness. PR mediated and TU partially mediated the relationship between EA and loneliness.
Early-life EA was confirmed as a distal resource for older adults and played an indirect role in affecting loneliness levels during the pandemic. It has an impact on present-day personal resources, such as PR and TU, which affect loneliness and also moderate the impact of social isolation on loneliness. Policymakers should be aware that older adults with low levels of EA may be more vulnerable to the harmful impacts of loneliness when isolated by choice.
在新冠疫情期间，政府强制实施的社交距离措施虽防止了疾病传播，但可能加剧了老年人的社会隔离和孤独感，尤其是那些原本就易受隔离影响的老年人。老年人或许能够利用自身资源，如心理韧性（PR）和技术使用（TU）来应对此类影响。教育程度（EA）或早年的教育程度可能会塑造晚年的个人资源，以及这些资源对疫情封锁对孤独感等结果的影响。发展适应模型允许这样一种假设，即社会隔离、技术使用和心理韧性可能会受到老年人早年教育程度的影响。
本研究在一个老年人群样本中考察了教育程度对与疫情相关的孤独感的间接影响。发展适应模型被用作概念框架，将教育程度视为对孤独感、社会隔离、心理韧性和技术使用的一种远端影响。我们假设教育程度能够预测技术使用和心理韧性，并对社会隔离和孤独感产生调节作用。我们还假设心理韧性和技术使用将介导教育程度对孤独感的影响。
这是一项横断面观察性研究，于2020年3月至2021年6月期间，在英国从92名年龄≥65岁的老年人中收集数据，当时该国处于各种与疫情相关的社会流动限制之下。所收集的数据包括人口统计学信息，如年龄、性别、种族以及所获得的最高学历。使用加利福尼亚大学洛杉矶分校孤独量表、康纳 - 戴维森韧性量表、鲁本社会网络指数和技术体验问卷作为标准化测量工具。进行了皮尔逊相关性分析、调节分析和中介回归分析以检验假设。
我们发现老年人中孤独感的患病率高于疫情前的标准。教育程度与更高的技术使用和心理韧性相关，并调节了社会隔离对孤独感的影响。心理韧性介导了教育程度与孤独感之间的关系，技术使用部分介导了这种关系。
早年的教育程度被确认为老年人的一种远端资源，并且在疫情期间对影响孤独感水平方面发挥了间接作用。它对当前的个人资源，如心理韧性和技术使用产生影响，这些资源既影响孤独感，也调节社会隔离对孤独感的影响。政策制定者应意识到，教育程度低的老年人在因选择而被隔离时，可能更容易受到孤独感的有害影响。
