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. 2023 Mar 15:325:282-288.
doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.01.006. Epub 2023 Jan 7.

COVID-19 pandemic impact on mental health in a large representative sample of older adults from the Lombardy region, Italy

Andrea Amerio  1 , Chiara Stival  2 , Alessandra Lugo  3 , Tiziana Fanucchi  4 , Luca Cavalieri d'Oro  5 , Licia Iacoviello  6 , Anna Odone  7 , David Stuckler  8 , Alberto Zucchi  9 , Gianluca Serafini  10 , Silvano Gallus  11 ; “LOST in Lombardia” Study Investigators
Collaborators, Affiliations

COVID-19 pandemic impact on mental health in a large representative sample of older adults from the Lombardy region, Italy

Andrea Amerio et al. J Affect Disord. .

Abstract

Background: We aimed to assess the prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms, hopelessness and insomnia in the older adults before and during the COVID-19 pandemic identifying subgroups at higher risk of mental distress.

Methods: Within the Lost in Lombardy project, a web-based cross-sectional study was conducted on a representative sample of 4400 older adults aged 65 years or more from the Lombardy region recruited between November 17th and 30th 2020.

Results: The prevalence of depressive symptoms increased by +112 % during the pandemic, anxiety symptoms by +136 %, insufficient sleep by +12 %, unsatisfactory sleep by +15 %. Feelings of hopelessness were more frequent among women compared to men and increased with increasing age. A worsening in each of the four specific mental health outcomes was more frequently observed in women (OR = 1.50, depression; OR = 1.31, anxiety; OR = 1.57, sleep quality; OR = 1.38, sleep quantity), in subjects who decreased their physical activity during the pandemic (OR = 1.64, depression; OR = 1.48, anxiety; OR = 2.05, sleep quality; OR = 1.28, sleep quantity), and with increasing number of pre-existing chronic diseases. The use of at least one psychotropic drug - mostly antidepressants/anxiolytics - increased by +26 % compared to pre-pandemic.

Limitations: Pre-pandemic symptoms were retrospectively reported during the Covid pandemic. Potential information and recall bias should not be ruled out.

Conclusions: If confirmed by future longitudinal studies, our findings could support evidence-based health and welfare policies on responding to this pandemic and on how to promote mental health and wellbeing, should future waves of infection emerge.

Keywords: Anxiety; COVID-19; Depression; Hopelessness; Lost in Lombardy; Older adults.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest Each author declares that he or she has no commercial associations (e.g. consultancies, stock ownership, equity interest, patent/licensing arrangement etc.) that might pose a conflict of interest in connection with the submitted article.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Overall distribution of 4400 Italian individuals aged 65+ years according to psychological characteristics (depression and anxiety) and sleep characteristics before and during the Covid-19 pandemic. Lombardy region, Italy, 2020.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Distribution of 4400 Italian individuals aged 65+ years according to feelings of hopelessness (BHS-4 scale), overall and by sex and age group. Lombardy region, Italy, 2020.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Distribution of 4400 Italian individuals aged 65+ years according to their use of psychotropic drugs before (November 2019) and during Covid-19 pandemic (November 2020). Lombardy region, Italy, 2020.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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