Social Isolation and Loneliness during COVID-19 Lockdown: Associations with Depressive Symptoms in the German Old-Age Population

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dc.citation.issue7
dc.citation.volume18
dc.contributor.authorMüller F
dc.contributor.authorRöhr S
dc.contributor.authorReininghaus U
dc.contributor.authorRiedel-Heller SG
dc.coverage.spatialSwitzerland
dc.date.accessioned2023-11-21T23:59:57Z
dc.date.accessioned2024-07-25T06:51:20Z
dc.date.available2021-03-31
dc.date.available2023-11-21T23:59:57Z
dc.date.available2024-07-25T06:51:20Z
dc.date.issued2021-04-01
dc.description.abstractLockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic increase the risk of social isolation and loneliness, which may affect mental wellbeing. Therefore, we aimed to investigate associations between social isolation and loneliness with depressive symptoms in the German old-age population during the first COVID-19 lockdown. A representative sample of randomly selected individuals at least 65 years old (n = 1005) participated in a computer-assisted standardized telephone interview in April 2020. Sociodemographic data, aspects of the personal life situation, attitudes towards COVID-19 and standardized screening measures on loneliness (UCLA 3-item loneliness scale), depression (Brief Symptom Inventory/BSI-18), and resilience (Brief Resilience Scale/BRS) were assessed. Associations were inspected using multivariate regression models. Being lonely, but not isolated (β = 0.276; p < 0.001) and being both isolated and lonely (β = 0.136; p < 0.001) were associated with higher depressive symptoms. Being isolated, but not lonely was not associated with depressive symptoms. Thus, the subjective emotional evaluation, i.e., feeling lonely, of the social situation during lockdown seems more relevant than the objective state, i.e., being isolated. Normal (β = −0.203; p < 0.001) and high resilience (β = −0.308; p < 0.001) were associated with lower depressive symptoms across groups. Therefore, strengthening coping skills may be a support strategy during lockdowns, especially for lonely older individuals.
dc.format.pagination3615-
dc.identifier.author-urlhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33807232
dc.identifier.citationMüller F, Röhr S, Reininghaus U, Riedel-Heller SG. (2021). Social Isolation and Loneliness during COVID-19 Lockdown: Associations with Depressive Symptoms in the German Old-Age Population.. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 18. 7. (pp. 3615-).
dc.identifier.doi10.3390/ijerph18073615
dc.identifier.eissn1660-4601
dc.identifier.elements-typejournal-article
dc.identifier.issn1661-7827
dc.identifier.piiijerph18073615
dc.identifier.urihttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/71023
dc.languageeng
dc.publisherMDPI (Basel, Switzerland)
dc.relation.isPartOfInt J Environ Res Public Health
dc.rights(c) 2021 The Author/s
dc.rightsCC BY
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subjectCOVID-19
dc.subjectdepressive symptoms
dc.subjectlockdown
dc.subjectloneliness
dc.subjectmental health
dc.subjectold age
dc.subjectresilience
dc.subjectsocial isolation
dc.subjectsurvey
dc.subjectAged
dc.subjectCOVID-19
dc.subjectCommunicable Disease Control
dc.subjectDepression
dc.subjectHumans
dc.subjectLoneliness
dc.subjectPandemics
dc.subjectSARS-CoV-2
dc.subjectSocial Isolation
dc.titleSocial Isolation and Loneliness during COVID-19 Lockdown: Associations with Depressive Symptoms in the German Old-Age Population
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.elements-id455082
pubs.organisational-groupOther
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