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. 2024 Nov 20;24(1):964.
doi: 10.1186/s12877-024-05555-4.

The psychosocial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Turkish older adults: is there a difference between males and females?

Esra Ates Bulut  1   2 , Derya Kaya  3   2 , Ali Ekrem Aydin  2   4 , Fatma Sena Dost  3   2 , Acelya Gokdeniz Yildirim  3   2 , Feyza Mutlay  3   2   5 , Kubra Altunkalem Seydi  3   2   6 , Francesca Mangialasche  7 , Ana Sabsil López Rocha  7 , Miia Kivipelto  7   8   9   10 , Ahmet Turan Isik  11   12
Affiliations

The psychosocial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Turkish older adults: is there a difference between males and females?

Esra Ates Bulut et al. BMC Geriatr. .

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has seriously affected older adults' social lives, physical activity, and cognitive functions. Additionally, the lockdowns have disrupted regular healthcare for patients with chronic illnesses or needing acute care. Furthermore, the pandemic has negatively affected different psychosocial influences in each country due to the various cultural characteristics, technology, health system, and financial opportunities. This study aimed to investigate the effects of COVID-19 on mood, social participation, and healthcare use in older adults living in Turkey.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted during the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (March-December 2021) in three medical centers in Turkey. Patients aged 60 + years without significant cognitive impairment were recruited by mail or at hospital admissions. Information on demographics, pandemic-related distancing measures, healthcare use, lifestyle, symptoms of anxiety, depression, and social participation were assessed.

Results: A total of 343 participants were included in the study. Women had a higher rate of hypertension, symptoms of anxiety, depression, and fatigue compared to men (p < 0.05). Since the start of the pandemic, only 22.4% of non-acute healthcare appointments were conducted face-to-face. Time spent with family and friends, hope for the future, and physical activity decreased. At the same time, the experience of loneliness, the number of meals and unhealthy snacks, and the use of digital services increased. Women were also more concerned about getting coronavirus infection, transmitting the virus to others, and being discriminated against because of the infection (p < 0.05).

Conclusions: These pandemic days have had a significant psychosocial impact on Turkish older adults, especially women. As a strategy of the health care policy, easy access and follow-up to the health system should be provided, and the necessary support should be procured to minimize the detrimental effects of the pandemic on older people.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; Diet; Healthcare utilization; Lifestyle; Lockdowns; Older adults; Sex; Social participation.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The study was approved by the Dokuz Eylul University of Non-Interventional Clinical Researches Ethics Board as a multicenter study and conformed to the Declaration of Helsinki. Permission was also obtained from the Turkish Ministry of Health for research on COVID-19. All participants provided written informed consent. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

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Fig. 1
Worries about COVID-19, by sex
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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