Challenges Experienced by Older People During the Initial Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Allison R. Heid · Francine P. Cartwright · Maureen Wilson-Genderson · Rachel A. Pruchno

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COVID-19 and Mental Health Aging, Health, and Disability COVID-19 Prevention and Impact

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has created unique stressors for older people to manage. Informed by the Stress Process Model and the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping, we examined the extent to which older people are adhering to physical distancing mandates and the pandemic-related experiences that older people find most challenging. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: From May 4 to May 17, 2020, a web-based questionnaire focused on the COVID-19 pandemic was completed by 1,272 people (aged 64 and older) who were part of an ongoing research panel in New Jersey recruited in 2006. Frequencies for endorsement of physical distancing behaviors were tabulated, and open-ended responses to the biggest challenge of the pandemic were systematically coded and classified using content analysis. RESULTS: More than 70% of participants reported adhering to physical distancing behaviors. Experiences appraised as most difficult by participants fell into 8 domains: Social Relationships, Activity Restrictions, Psychological, Health, Financial, Global Environment, Death, and Home Care. The most frequently appraised challenges were constraints on social interactions (42.4%) and restrictions on activity (30.9%). DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: In the initial weeks of the pandemic, the majority of older adults reported adhering to COVID-19 physical distancing mandates and identified a range of challenging experiences. Results highlight the factors having the greatest impact on older adults, informing quantitative modeling for testing the impact of the pandemic on health and well-being outcomes, and identifying how intervention efforts may be targeted to maximize the quality of life of older adults.

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2005Three Approaches to Qualitative Content Analysis 1985Stress, appraisal, and coping 2013Stress: Appraisal and Coping 2003Qualitative content analysis in nursing research: concepts, procedures and measures to achieve trustworthiness 2010Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic Review 1965The Constant Comparative Method of Qualitative Analysis 1993From Psychological Stress to the Emotions: A History of Changing Outlooks 2020The Mental Health Consequences of COVID-19 and Physical Distancing

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2020Living Alone During COVID-19: Social Contact and Emotional Well-being Among Older Adults 2021Evaluating the Impact of COVID-19 on Society, Environment, Economy, and Education 2024On social health: history, conceptualization, and population patterning 2022“We see each other from a distance”: Neighbourhood social relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic matter for older adults’ social connectedness 2021Change in Loneliness Experienced by Older Men and Women Living Alone and With Others at the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic

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