Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Department Gerontology, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Psychogeriatrics. 2024 May;24(3):605-616. doi: 10.1111/psyg.13103. Epub 2024 Mar 18.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, older Canadians were the most at risk of severe physical harm, including death, and their return to post-COVID life was expected to be especially anxiety-provoking. A study was conducted to obtain nationally representative evidence of older Canadians' self-perceived anxiety levels and their strategies to manage or mitigate it as public health restrictions were lifting.
This study had a cross-sectional descriptive design. An e-survey was used to collect data from 1327 Canadians aged 60+ stratified by age, sex, and education to resemble the larger general population. Participants completed the Geriatric Anxiety Scale (GAS-10) and indicated which of the 16 Centre for Addictions and Mental Health's (2022) Coping with Stress and Anxiety strategies they were using to manage or mitigate their anxiety when social distancing was lifting. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression analysis were used to explore the data.
While, on average, older Canadians were mildly anxious, nearly one-quarter of responders rated their anxiety as severe. Age, sex, perceived health, were statistically significant correlates of anxiety. Six coping strategies were associated with significantly lower anxiety scores. Moreover, accepting some fear and anxiety as normal, challenging worries and anxious thoughts, and practising relaxation/meditation appeared to increase anxiety.
Older Canadians used multiple strategies to manage or mitigate their anxiety, and seemingly, with more successful than detrimental tries. Practitioners have much to learn and understand about older people's mental health promotion efforts after social distancing, now and for future pandemics.
在整个 COVID-19 大流行期间，加拿大老年人面临着最严重的身体伤害风险，包括死亡，预计他们在 COVID-19 后恢复正常生活时会特别焦虑。本研究旨在获得加拿大老年人自我感知焦虑水平的全国代表性证据，以及在放宽公共卫生限制时，他们用来管理或减轻焦虑的策略。
本研究采用了横断面描述性设计。使用电子调查收集了 1327 名年龄在 60 岁以上的加拿大人的数据，这些人按年龄、性别和教育程度分层，以类似于更大的总体人群。参与者完成了老年焦虑量表（GAS-10），并指出在放宽社交距离时，他们正在使用加拿大成瘾和心理健康中心的 16 种应对压力和焦虑策略中的哪一种来管理或减轻焦虑。使用描述性统计、皮尔逊相关和多元回归分析来探索数据。
虽然加拿大老年人平均焦虑程度较轻，但近四分之一的受访者表示他们的焦虑程度严重。年龄、性别、感知健康是焦虑的统计学显著相关因素。六种应对策略与焦虑评分显著降低相关。此外，接受一些恐惧和焦虑是正常的、挑战担忧和焦虑的想法、练习放松/冥想似乎会增加焦虑。
加拿大老年人使用多种策略来管理或减轻焦虑，而且似乎尝试的方法比造成伤害的方法更有效。在放宽社交距离限制后，从业者现在和未来的大流行中，需要更多地了解和理解老年人的心理健康促进工作。
