Emotional and cognitive states of geriatric patients during the COVID-19 pandemic – an observational study

INTRODUCTION: The authors of the study assessed the emotional and cognitive state of geriatric patients during the COVID-19 pandemic and tried to answer the question: were there any differences in this state in geriatric patients at different stages of the pandemic? MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 518 patients of 60 years old and above of the Department of Geriatrics in Warsaw. To collect data, the following tools of psychological measurement were applied: the Mini-Mental State Examination scale and Geriatric Depression Scale. In order to test the differences in the means between the groups, a Chi-square test (with Yates’s correction for continuity when the class size did not exceed 8 items) was used. For the comparison of the three groups, the Kruskal-Wallis (ANOVA) test was performed. RESULTS: It was found that the majority of geriatric patients (73% of respondents) do not show symptoms of depressed mood. But there are statistically significant differences in the results of the patients’ cognitive state tests depending on the time of examination. Patients examined before the pandemic tended to demonstrate a better cognitive state than patients at the beginning of the pandemic and in its later stages. Nevertheless, there are no significant differences in the cognitive functioning of patients examined at the beginning and later in the pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: The number of geriatric patients with symptoms of depression significantly increased when visits of relatives prohibition were introduced. However, the number of patients with depression returned to its previous level later in the pandemic. This phenomenon may indicate psychological adaptation to the situation. The presented results of observation suggest that the introduction of limitations is less important than the particular perception of one’s situation and adaptation to that.