Impact of COVID-19 on mental health in the elderly population

INTRODUCTION: We explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the prevalence of mental health problems in the elderly population in retirement communities in Florida. Older adults are especially at risk of illness from COVID-19, and the elderly population is more prone to comorbidities that can affect their contraction of COVID-19. While the aging population is known to be at risk, there is very little research conducted on how this risk affects mental health, a factor that can worsen and further impair recovery. METHODS: We examined survey data amongst 1620 patients between the ages of 55 and 93 years old. 53% of the patients were male, and 47% was female. Demographic information such as race, ethnicity, marriage status, and living situation were collected. Other health information such as BMI, smoking history, and alcohol intake were collected as well. Since the COVID-19 pandemic is still ongoing, we look at the changes before and after March 2020, when COVID-19 was declared a national emergency in the United States. Survey included COVID-19 interaction measures such as travel, mask usage, contact tracing, and whether patient has been tested for COVID-19 in the past. Data collected using DSM V diagnostic criteria desk reference on mental health included diagnoses, insomnia, stress levels, and weight gain. Patients were asked whether their stress levels have increased during COVID-19, and also if they already have an existing mental health diagnosis that worsened during the pandemic period. RESULTS: 39% of patients report leaving the house daily, and 92.5% of the subjects wear a mask 100% of the time when going outside. This shows that most elderly patients have a strict adherence to prevention policies that the CDC recommends such as wearing a mask in public settings, staying indoors, and using social distancing measures. Therefore, this provides an explanation for why only 54.7% of the subjects reported stress level increases because of COVID-19 when recent research has stated that COVID-19 has had a detrimental effect on mental health and stress levels especially in the elderly population. Correlation between subjects who have preexisting health conditions (hypertension, diabetes, history of stroke, and coronary artery disease (CAD)) and stress levels were insignificant, as well as the correlation between subjects who have pre-existing mental health conditions (depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder) and stress levels. In addition, 52.8% of subjects reported that if a COVID-19 vaccine was released to the public they would choose to get the vaccine. CONCLUSIONS: There has been an increase in evidence published that the COVID-19 pandemic is having a detrimental effect on mental health on populations worldwide and has been often declared as a mental health crisis. Previous research has shown that the pandemic is disproportionately affecting people with pre-existing conditions and has had a negative impact because of widespread panic and anxiety, and physical isolation. This survey data demonstrates that in the elderly population, the mental health impact of the pandemic has been overstated, and that with adherence to the guidelines on how to prevent contraction of COVID-19 there is not a significant impact on mental health for the older population.