Journal Articles

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/7915

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Subject: search.filters.subject.COVID-19 pandemic

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    Understanding older Māori informal caregivers’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic through Te Whare Tapa Whā
    (Taylor and Francis Group, 2024-12-04) Barnard T; Uekusa S; Phibbs S; Matthewman S; Stephens C; Alpass F; Tamaira M
    Drawing upon Tā Mason Durie’s Te Whare Tapa Whā model, this research explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health and wellbeing of older Māori informal caregivers in Aotearoa New Zealand. Utilising information from 35 in-depth interviews conducted with Māori informal/whānau caregivers, this study identifies that the pandemic impacted the physical and mental health of Māori informal caregivers, facing challenges due to lockdown measures, limited access to support services and increased care responsibilities. However, the study predominantly highlights a range of positive aspects of informal caregiving during the pandemic, such as a sense of purpose and fulfilment in their role, enhanced appreciation for loved ones, and increased hononga and whanaungatanga. The study underscores the importance of cultural values and practices in maintaining the wellbeing of Māori informal caregivers and suggests the need for larger social changes to address structural injustices as well as inequalities. Overall, the study provides insights into the experiences of Māori informal caregivers and highlights the significance of recognising and addressing their health and wellbeing during times of crisis.
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    Experiences of COVID-19 lockdown among older people in Aotearoa: Idyllic or dystopian?
    (Cambridge University Press, 2023-10-02) Breheny M; Stephens C
    The COVID-19 pandemic prompted concern about the wellbeing of older people, however, there have also been accounts of increased sense of community in response to the disruption of established routines. To explore how older people experienced lockdown in Aotearoa/New Zealand, we analysed 635 written comments on the 2020 wave of the Health, Work and Retirement longitudinal survey of people aged 55-85 years. Using narrative genre analysis, we discuss two narratives of lockdown: a narrative of lockdown as 'idyllic' and a 'dystopian' narrative of distrust. Using the idyllic narrative, people described pleasant activities and linked these stories to earlier times when community life was less time-pressured and people were more connected to one another. The dystopian narrative was used to describe politicians and the media as untrustworthy and to depict new vulnerabilities created by the rules of lockdown. These narrative genres provide different positions for older people. In the idyllic narrative, older people are treasured and supported by younger community members, whereas in the dystopian narrative older people feel abandoned and manipulated. These genres draw on possible late-life futures that are familiar to older people: either treasured or discarded. Identifying these narrative genres reveals the different vulnerabilities older people experience. This information can be used to support older people to experience security and to flourish in uncertain times.
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    Depression and Anxiety in Old Age during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparative Study of Individuals at Cardiovascular Risk and the General Population.
    (MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2023-02-08) Gerhards SK; Luppa M; Röhr S; Pabst A; Bauer A; Frankhänel T; Döhring J; Escales C; Zöllinger IR; Oey A; Brettschneider C; Wiese B; Hoffmann W; Gensichen J; König H-H; Frese T; Thyrian JR; Kaduszkiewicz H; Riedel-Heller SG; Miettunen J
    Our study aims to examine the associations of sociodemographic factors, social support, resilience, and perceptions of the COVID-19 pandemic with late-life depression and anxiety symptoms in a cardiovascular risk group and a matched sample from the German general population during the beginning of the pandemic and draw a comparison regarding psychosocial characteristics. Data of n = 1236 participants (aged 64-81 years) were analyzed, with n = 618 participants showing a cardiovascular risk profile, and n = 618 participants from the general population. The cardiovascular risk sample had slightly higher levels of depressive symptoms and felt more threatened by the virus due to pre-existing conditions. In the cardiovascular risk group, social support was associated with less depressive and anxiety symptoms. In the general population, high social support was associated with less depressive symptoms. Experiencing high levels of worries due to COVID-19 was associated with more anxiety in the general population. Resilience was associated with less depressive and anxiety symptoms in both groups. Compared to the general population, the cardiovascular risk group showed slightly higher levels of depressive symptomatology even at the beginning of the pandemic and may be supported by addressing perceived social support and resilience in prevention programs targeting mental health.
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    Systems Are Overstretched from the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Interpretive Description of Disabled People's Access to Healthcare and Disability Support in New Zealand.
    (MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2024-02-02) Nazari Orakani S; Officer TN; Good G; McBride-Henry K; Cogle CR
    The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted healthcare and support services, creating challenges for disabled people. New Zealand implemented a range of policies to prevent and limit viral transmission of COVID-19. This study investigates disabled people's experiences accessing healthcare and disability support services during the COVID-19 pandemic, and based on this analysis, the implications of public health policy decisions on disabled people's experiences during the pandemic in New Zealand are explicated. A qualitative design underpinned by interpretive description methodology guided this study. A total of 64 disabled people or parents of disabled children participated in semi-structured interviews. The team of health services and disability researchers then engaged in an iterative thematic approach to analysis, which led to three key themes: (1) protective personal factors, which assisted disabled people to access healthcare and support services, (2) immediate pandemic policy impacts, including policy and legislative changes, which created additional access barriers for disabled people, and (3) exacerbating factors, including compounding vulnerabilities, overstretched systems, and the impact of the vaccine mandate, which worsened the already limited access to healthcare and disability services for disabled people. The pandemic overwhelmed an already stretched healthcare and disability support system, resulting in service disruptions with negative consequences for disabled people's health and wellbeing. Future policy development needs to be disability-centred in its inclusion of people with lived experience and consideration of the support needs of disabled populations. A first step in this process could include pandemic planning and policy co-design to ensure a continuum of healthcare services and support availability for individuals when services are disrupted. In addition, access to formal and informal support for disabled people should be recognised as a fundamental human right when accessing healthcare and disability support services.
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    Coping with stress during the COVID-19 pandemic in the oldest-old population
    (Springer Nature B.V., 2022-12) Gerhards SK; Pabst A; Röhr S; Luppa M; Riedel-Heller SG
    The aim of the study is to investigate psychosocial factors that are associated with positive and negative coping with stress, as well as with worries about and perceived threat by COVID-19 to enable us to provide adequate support for oldest-old individuals. A paper–pencil-based survey assessed COVID-19 worries and perceived threat, depression, anxiety, somatization, social support, loneliness, resilience, positive and negative coping in a sample of n = 197 oldest-old individuals (78–100 years). Linear multivariate and binary logistic regression analyses were conducted. Individuals with high levels of resilience were more likely to feel self-efficient when coping with stress. High levels of depression, anxiety and loneliness were associated with feeling more helpless when coping with stress. However, oldest-old individuals who felt lonely also experienced situations where they felt competent in stress coping. Being male and experiencing high levels of social support was more likely associated with high levels of worries due to COVID-19. Increased age and higher levels of depression were associated with lower levels of perceived personal threat, whereas higher somatization scores were more likely associated with higher perceived personal threat. Findings suggest that mental health factors may shape the way oldest-old individuals cope with pandemic-related stress. Resilience might be an important factor to take into account when targeting an improvement in positive coping with stress. Oldest-old individuals who have higher levels of depression, anxiety and feel lonely may be supported by adapting their coping skill repertoire to reduce the feeling of helplessness when coping with stress.