000K  utf8
1100  $c2023
1500  eng
2050  urn:nbn:de:gbv:8:3-2024-00039-9
2051  10.3389/fpubh.2023.1141433
3000  Wittmann, Felix G
3010  Brettschneider, Christian
3010  Döhring, Juliane
3010  Escales, Catharina
3010  Frese, Thomas
3010  Gensichen, Jochen
3010  Hoffmann, Wolfgang
3010  Kaduszkiewicz, Hanna
3010  Kästner, Anika
3010  König, Hans-Helmut
3010  Kosilek, Robert Philipp
3010  Luppa, Melanie
3010  Oey, Anke
3010  Pabst, Alexander
3010  Riedel-Heller, Steffi G
3010  Thyrian, Jochen René
3010  Wiese, Birgitt
3010  Zöllinger, Isabel
3010  Zülke, Andrea
4000  COVID-19 government measures and their impact on mental health: a cross-sectional study of older primary care patients in Germany$hFrontiers Media SA  [Wittmann, Felix G]
4030  $nFrontiers Media SA
4209  Background With the outbreak of COVID-19, government measures including social distancing and restrictions of social contacts were imposed to slow the spread of the virus. Since older adults are at increased risk of severe disease, they were particularly affected by these restrictions. These may negatively affect mental health by loneliness and social isolation, which constitute risk factors for depressiveness. We aimed to analyse the impact of perceived restriction due to government measures on depressive symptoms and investigated stress as mediator in an at-risk-population in Germany. Methods Data were collected in April 2020 from the population of the AgeWell.de-study, including individuals with a Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging, and Incidence of Dementia (CAIDE) score ≥9, using the depression subscale of the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI-18) and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-4). Feeling restricted due to COVID-19 government measures was surveyed with a standardized questionnaire. Results We analysed data from 810 older adults (mean age = 69.9, SD = 5). Feeling restricted due to COVID-19 government measures was linked to increased depressiveness (b = 0.19; p < 0.001). The association was no longer significant when adding stress and covariates (b = 0.04; p = 0.43), while stress was linked to increased depressive symptoms (b = 0.22; p < 0.001). A final model confirms the assumption that the feeling of restriction is mediated by stress (total effect: b = 0.26; p < 0.001). Conclusion We found evidence that feeling restricted due to COVID-19 government measures is associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms in older adults at increased risk for dementia. The association is mediated by perceived stress. Furthermore, social support was significantly associated with less depressive symptoms. Thus, it is of high relevance to consider possible adverse effects of government measures related to COVID-19 on mental health of older people.
4950  https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1141433$xR$3Volltext$534
4950  https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:gbv:8:3-2024-00039-9$xR$3Volltext$534
4961  https://macau.uni-kiel.de/receive/macau_mods_00004320
5051  300
5051  610
5550  Aged
5550  Covid-19
5550  COVID-19
5550  Cross-Sectional Studies
5550  Dementia
5550  Depression
5550  Government
5550  Government Measures
5550  Humans
5550  Mental Health
5550  Older People
5550  Primary Health Care
5550  SARS-CoV-2
5550  Social Support
5550  Stress