Social isolation, loneliness and positive mental health among older adults in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. / Isolement social, solitude et santé mentale positive chez les aînés au Canada pendant la pandémie de COVID-19.
Health Promot Chronic Dis Prev Can
; 43(4): 171-181, 2023 Apr.
Article
in English, French
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2301242
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
Social isolation and loneliness are associated with poorer mental health among older adults. However, less is known about how these experiences are independently associated with positive mental health (PMH) during the COVID-19 pandemic.METHODS:
We analyzed data from the 2020 and 2021 cycles of the Survey on COVID-19 and Mental Health to provide estimates of social isolation (i.e. living alone), loneliness and PMH outcomes (i.e. high self-rated mental health, high community belonging, mean life satisfaction) in the overall older adult population (i.e. 65+ years) and across sociodemographic groups. We also conducted logistic and linear regressions to separately and simultaneously examine how social isolation and loneliness are associated with PMH.RESULTS:
Nearly 3 in 10 older adults reported living alone, and over a third reported feelings of loneliness due to the pandemic. When examined separately, living alone and loneliness were each associated with lower PMH. When assessed simultaneously, loneliness remained a significant independent factor associated with all three PMH outcomes (overall and across all sociodemographic groups), but living alone was only a significant factor for high community belonging in the overall population, for males and for those aged 65 to 74 years.CONCLUSION:
Overall, social isolation and loneliness were associated with poorer wellbeing among older adults in Canada during the pandemic. Loneliness remained a significant factor related to all PMH outcomes after adjusting for social isolation, but not vice versa. The findings highlight the need to appropriately identify and support lonely older adults during (and beyond) the pandemic.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
COVID-19
/
Loneliness
Type of study:
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Qualitative research
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Aged
/
Humans
/
Male
Country/Region as subject:
North America
Language:
English
/
French
Journal:
Health Promot Chronic Dis Prev Can
Year:
2023
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Hpcdp.43.4.02
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