Researchers from five US institutions, including the University of California (UCLA) which published the research, found that older adults already included in ongoing depression resistance studies had also shown resistance to stress caused by physical distancing and isolation.
"We thought they would be more vulnerable to stress due to the COVID-19 pandemic because they are the CDC's definition of the most vulnerable population," said Helen Lavretsky, a professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences at the Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA. "We learned that older adults with depression can be resilient. Research has shown that coping with chronic depression has taught them to be resilient."
In the study, the researchers interviewed participants over 60 years old (average age 69 years) during the first two months of the pandemic. Using two screening assessments of depression and anxiety, PHQ-9 and PROMIS, the researchers found no changes in the depression, anxiety or suicide risk of participants before and during the pandemic.
The researchers also found that:
- Participants were more concerned about the risk of being infected with the virus itself than the risk of isolation.
- Although everyone was practising physical distancing, most people did not feel socially isolated and used virtual technologies to connect with friends and family.
- Other participants, on the other hand, reported a decline in their quality of life during the pandemic and feared their mental health would suffer from continued physical distancing.
- Study participants were unhappy with the government's lack of response to the pandemic.
Based on these findings, the authors concluded that ensuring access to medical services and opportunities for social interaction is key to maintaining the mental health and quality of life of elderly people.
Lavretsky further added that people who live with long-term depression and stress may also be a model for others to draw on their resilience.
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