Lost Touch? Implications of Physical Touch for Physical Health.

OBJECTIVES: Growing research on the impact of physical touch on health has revealed links to lower blood pressure, higher oxytocin levels, and better sleep, but links to inflammation have not been fully explored. Physical touch may also buffer stress, underscoring its importance during the stressful time of living in the COVID-19 global pandemic-a time that has substantially limited social interactions and during which physical touch has been specifically advised against. METHOD: We analyze nationally representative longitudinal data on older adults (N = 1,124) from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project using cross-lagged path models. RESULTS: More frequent physical touch is significantly related to a lower likelihood of subsequent elevated inflammation. DISCUSSION: These findings highlight the importance of finding safe ways to incorporate physical touch, even in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Longitudinal links between behavioral activation coping strategies and depressive symptoms of U.S. adults living alone during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic and related physical distancing measures have posed a significant threat to the mental health of adults, particularly those living alone. Accordingly, the World Health Organization implemented the #HealthyAtHome program, encouraging people to keep in regular contact with loved ones, stay physically active, and keep a regular routine. The current study aims to examine a micro-longitudinal link between behavioral activation coping strategies (exercise, meditation, relaxation, and social connection) and depressive symptoms among adults who lived alone during the COVID-19 pandemic. We used 21 biweekly waves of longitudinal data from the Understanding America Study (UAS) collected between April 2020 and February 2021 (N = 1,280). The multilevel models with correlated random effects were estimated to examine lagged effects of coping strategies (t-1) on depressive symptoms (t). The results showed that exercise was predictive of lower depressive symptoms even after controlling for time-invariant and time-varying covariates. The results showed that modifiable lifestyle factors, such as taking time to exercise, may be beneficial for the mental health of Americans living in single-person households.

Longitudinal Effects of Coping Strategies on Mental Health of Older Adults Living Alone During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic and related social distancing measures have posed a significant threat to the mental health of older adults, particularly those living alone. Accordingly, the World Health Organization implemented the #HealthyAtHome program, encouraging people to keep in regular contact with loved ones, stay physically active, and keep a regular routine. The current study aims to examine a micro-longitudinal link between positive coping strategies (e.g., exercise, meditation, relaxation, and virtual social contacts) and depressive symptoms among older adults who live alone during the COVID-19 pandemic. We used 21 biweekly waves of longitudinal data from the Understanding America Study (UAS) collected between April 2020 and February 2021 (N=839, observation= 16,256). The multilevel models with correlated random effects were estimated to examine lagged effects of coping strategies (t-1) on depressive symptoms (t). The analysis used the xthybrid command with clustered standard errors in Stata 15.1. The results show that exercise (b=-.10, p=0.02), relaxation (b=-02, p=0.01), and virtual social contacts (b=-.01, p=0.01) were predictive of lower depressive symptoms even after controlling for time-invariant and time-varying covariates. Meditation, however, was associated with higher depressive symptoms (b=.01, p=0.02). The results show that modifiable lifestyle factors, such as taking time to exercise or relax, may enhance mental health and well-being for older adults living alone. Virtual social contacts such as video calls could be an effective way to keep older adults socially connected and emotionally healthy.