JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is an ongoing geriatric health emergency, with a substantial increase in the prevalence of medical and mental health issues, particularly among older adults living in residential care homes (RCHs).For older adults, research has predominantly concentrated on physical health problems such as infection and mortality rates. Social distancing measures and policies to minimize infection prevention may increase the risk of loneliness and depression. Current knowledge of the risk and protective factors related to the adverse psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on older adults in RCHs is largely based on limited data. This study examined the relationships between sociodemographic characteristics, fear of COVID-19, loneliness, depressive symptoms, and self-compassion.

Objective:

The study was conducted to investigate whether loneliness mediates the effects of the fear generated by a pandemic on depression. Additionally, we hypothesized that self-compassion would moderate the effect of loneliness on depression..

Methods:

In total, 323 older adults in RCHs (aged over 65 years) completed a survey comprising the Fear of COVID-19 Scale, De Jung Gierveld Loneliness Scale; the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire, and Self-compassion Scale.

Results:

: Of 420 returned surveys, data from 323 were included in the analysis. A sample comprised 323 older adults (Females: n=141, 43.7%, Males: n=182, 56.3%) in RCHs with Meanage =74.98 years; (Standard Deviation =6.59, age 65-90). The results revealed that the total effect of fear on depression (Path C) was statistically significant, with a medium effect size (Cohen’s f 2 = .14), and that this association was partially mediated by loneliness (β = .11, SE = .04, P<.001, t = 2.91, 95% CI 0.04, 0.19. The interaction effect of self-compassion with loneliness (loneliness × self-compassion) on depression was statistically significant, β = -.38, SE = .05, P< .001, t = 7.58, with 95% CI -0.48, -0.30, indicating that self-compassion moderated the loneliness effect on depression that self-compassion had a moderating effect on the loneliness effect on depression. Self-compassion moderated the mediating effect of fear of COVID-19 on depression.

Conclusions:

Older adults in RCHs face greater challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings of this study support the COVID-19 evidence, indicating that a greater level of fear generated by the pandemic is linked to psychopathology in the form of depression and loneliness. These results support the notion that self-compassion mitigates the negative effects of stressful events among older adults. These findings suggest that self-compassionate older adults may recover from stressful life situations by reducing their risk of depressive symptoms and mitigating the effects of loneliness on depression. Customised self-compassion intervention and meditation training programs may be effective loneliness-mitigating interventions for older adults in RCHs.