ABSTRACT
The current study investigates older adults' perceptions of ageism in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using tenets of Stereotype Embodiment Theory and the Behaviors from Intergroup Affect and Stereotypes Map framework, we sought to (a) examine whether older adults experienced ageism as self-relevant during the pandemic and (b) understand whether older adults experienced certain media messages and interpersonal behaviors during the pandemic and interpreted them as being motivated by potentialpaternalistic age stereotypes. Older adults aged 65 and older recruited from the community (n = 73) participated in a semi-structured interview about their perspectives on ageism toward older adults during the pandemic. Participants also completed an online survey about their experiences with a range of messages and interpersonal behaviors throughout the pandemic. We thematically analyzed interview data and identified three primary themes: self-relevance of age stereotypes; awareness of negative, overgeneralized portrayals of older adults; and defenses against self-relevance of age stereotypes. Survey responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics and frequency counts and suggest that participants attributed messages and behaviors potentially imbued with paternalistic ageism as motivated primarily by care and concern for older adults. The findings add to the field's understanding of older adults' experiences and perceptions of ageism in the media and in interpersonal behaviors in the context of COVID-19.
ABSTRACT
During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a rise in media messages (MMs) and interpersonal behaviors (IBs) that could have been considered as reflecting compassionate ageism (i.e., ageism that stems from perceptions of older adults [OAs] as warm but incompetent). However, it is unclear how OAs experienced these MMs and IBs during the pandemic. The current study examined how OAs perceived pandemic-related MMs and IBs. We recruited 74 community-dwelling OAs (Mage = 73.18, 58% female). Participants completed a survey in which they reported the extent to which they had encountered five MMs and nine IBs throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, participants rated whether they believed each MM and IB was motivated by care and how offended they were by it. Nearly all participants had encountered MMs about OAs’ vulnerability to COVID-19 (e.g., more likely to contract COVID-19, 97%;more likely to die from COVID-19, 97%). Furthermore, most participants experienced IBs emphasizing their vulnerability to COVID-19 (e.g., told by another person they had a higher likelihood of contracting COVID-19, 64%;someone had checked in on them unprompted, 63%). However, across MMs and IBs, most participants (59–100%) perceived them as motivated by care and concern, and a relatively small proportion (0–20%) reported being offended by them. Our findings underscore the importance of understanding nuances of ageism from the perspective of OAs themselves. Different forms of ageism (i.e., compassionate ageism, hostile ageism) rooted in certain stereotypes about older adults (i.e., high warmth-low competence) may uniquely shape the lived experiences of OAs.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Access to mental health services continues to be a systemic problem in the United States and around the world owing to a variety of barriers including the limited availability of skilled providers and lack of mental health literacy among patients. Individuals seeking mental health treatment may not be aware of the multiple modalities of digital mental health care available to address their problems (eg, self-guided and group modalities, or one-to-one care with a provider). In fact, one-to-one, in-person treatment is the dominant care model with a masters- or doctoral-level trained mental health provider, and it may or may not be the appropriate or preferred level of care for an individual. Technology-enabled mental health platforms may be one way to improve access to mental health care by offering stepped care, but more research is needed to understand the care modality preferences of digital mental health care seekers because additional modalities become increasingly validated as effective treatment options. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to describe and evaluate the predictors of care modality preferences among individuals enrolled in a technology-enabled stepped mental health care platform. METHODS: This exploratory, cross-sectional study used employee data from the 2021 Modern Health database, an employer-sponsored mental health benefit that uses a technology-enabled platform to optimize digital mental health care delivery. Chi-square tests and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were conducted to evaluate associations among the categorical and continuous factors of interest and the preferred care modality. Bivariate logistic regression models were constructed to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) of preferring a one-on-one versus self-guided group, or no preference for digital mental health care modalities. RESULTS: Data were analyzed for 3661 employees. The most common modality preference was one-on-one care (1613/3661, 44.06%). Approximately one-fourth of the digital mental health care seekers (881/3661, 24.06%) expressed a preference for pursuing self-guided care, and others (294/3661, 8.03%) expressed a preference for group care. The ORs indicated that individuals aged 45 years and above were significantly more likely to express a preference for self-guided care compared to individuals aged between 18 and 24 years (OR 2.47, 95% CI 1.70-3.59; P<.001). Individuals screening positive for anxiety (OR 0.73, 95% CI 0.62-0.86; P<.001) or depression (OR 0.79, 95% CI 0.66-0.95; P=.02) were more likely to prefer one-on-one care. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings elucidated that care modality preferences vary and are related to clinical severity factors and demographic variables among individuals seeking digital mental health care.