How do European Mature Adults and Elderly Perceive SARS-COV-2 and Associated Control Measures? A Cross-Country Analysis of Mental Health Symptoms in June and July 2020

International Journal of Public Health

Julian Perelman²  Miguel Xavier⁴  Pedro Pita Barros⁵ 

[1] Center for Research in Public Health, National School of Public Health, New University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal;Comprehensive Health Research Centre, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal;NOVA Medical School, Faculty of Medical Sciences of Lisbon, New University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal;National Mental Health Program, General-Directorate for Health, Lisbon, Portugal;School of Business and Economics, New University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal;

关键词: mental health;    COVID-19;    Europe;    mature adults;    control measures;   

DOI  :  10.3389/ijph.2022.1604218

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Objectives: Recent literature points out that elderly people are psychologically resilient to COVID-19, but the studies were performed in specific contexts. We measured the link between the worsening of mental health symptoms, the epidemiologic situation, and control measures among European people aged 50 or older.Methods: We used data from the 2020 wave of SHARE, merged with Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker data (n = 38,358). We modeled the risk of worsening of depression, anxiety, sleeping trouble, and loneliness symptoms’ self-perception, as functions of control measures and 7-days death incidence, using logistic regressions.Results: The worsening of anxiety and depression perception were more common (16.2 and 23.1%, respectively), compared to that of sleeping troubles and loneliness (8.1 and 11.5%, respectively). The worsening of depression and anxiety perception was negatively related to the rigor of control measures. The seven-days death incidence was positively linked to all symptoms except sleeping troubles.Conclusion: Older people were the most exposed to death risk and were affected psychologically by the COVID-19 epidemiological situation; yet control measures were protective (or neutral) to their mental health condition.

【 授权许可】

Unknown