Exploring Depression among the Elderly during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Effects of the Big Five, Media Use, and Perceived Social Support.
Int J Environ Res Public Health
; 19(20)2022 Oct 19.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2082084
ABSTRACT
The mental health of the elderly is vulnerable during public health emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and the risks of depression is increased. The study aimed to explore the effects of physical health, the Big Five personality traits, media use, and different kinds of perceived social support as predictors of levels of depression among the elderly during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in more than 120 cities in China with a sample of 1147 older adults, and hierarchical regression was established to examine the predictors of the level of depression. The results showed that almost half of the elderly (48%) had a status of mild or much more severe depression during the COVID-19 pandemic. The level of depression was negatively associated with physical health, extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and family support, while it was positively associated with neuroticism and media use. The study emphasized the effects of physical health, the Big Five personality traits, media use, and perceived social support from family as the predictors of levels of depression, providing further measures to help the elderly better react to a public health emergency.
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
COVID-19
Type of study:
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Qualitative research
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Aged
/
Humans
Language:
English
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Ijerph192013534
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