Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-t5tsf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-17T14:51:08.936Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Are lonely older adults more vulnerable to mental health issues during pandemics?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 May 2021

Ashley Stevens
Affiliation:
Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA), School of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia
Katya Numbers
Affiliation:
Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA), School of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia
Suraj Samtani*
Affiliation:
Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA), School of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia

Abstract

Image of the first page of this content. For PDF version, please use the ‘Save PDF’ preceeding this image.'
Type
Commentary
Copyright
© International Psychogeriatric Association 2021

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

American Psychiatric Association. (2013) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5®). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Pub. Google Scholar
Beutel, M. E. et al. (2017). Loneliness in the general population: prevalence, determinants and relations to mental health. BMC Psychiatry, 17, Article no. 97. doi: 10.1186/s12888-017-1262-x.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Creese, B. et al. (2020). Loneliness, physical activity and mental health during Covid-19: a longitudinal analysis of depression and anxiety in adults over 50 between 2015 and 2020. International Psychogeriatrics. doi: 10.1017/S1041610220004135.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Forlenza, O. V. and Stella, F. (2020). Impact of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on mental health in the elderly: perspective from a psychogeriatric clinic at a tertiary hospital in São Paulo, Brazil. International Psychogeriatrics, 32, 11471151. doi: 10.1017/S1041610220001180.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Frenkel-Yosef, M., Maytles, R. and Shrira, A. (2020). Loneliness and its concomitants among older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. International Psychogeriatrics, 32, 12571259. doi: 10.1017/S1041610220003476.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hwang, T. J. et al. (2020). Loneliness and social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. International Psychogeriatrics, 32, 12171220. doi: 10.1017/S1041610220000988.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Killgore, W. D. S. et al. (2020). Loneliness: a signature mental health concern in the era of COVID-19. Psychiatry Research, 290, 113117. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113117.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mammen, G. and Faulkner, G. (2013). Physical activity and the prevention of depression: a systematic review of prospective studies. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 45, 649657. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2013.08.001.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Newby, J. M. et al. (2020). Acute mental health responses during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. medRxiv, 2020.05.03.20089961. doi: 10.1101/2020.05.03.20089961.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pieh, C., Budimir, S. and Probst, T. (2020). The effect of age, gender, income, work, and physical activity on mental health during coronavirus disease (COVID-19) lockdown in Austria. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 136, 110186. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2020.110186.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pierce, M. et al. (2020). Mental health before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal probability sample survey of the UK population. The Lancet Psychiatry, 7, 883892. doi: 10.1016/S2215-0366(20)30308-4.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vernooij-Dassen, M., Verhey, F. and Lapid, M. (2020). The risks of social distancing for older adults: a call to balance. International Psychogeriatrics, 32, 12351237. doi: 10.1017/S1041610220001350.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Xiong, J. et al. (2020). Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on mental health in the general population: a systematic review. Journal of Affective Disorders, 277, 5564. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.08.001.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed