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“They're Going to Zoom It”: A Qualitative Investigation of Impacts and Coping Strategies During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Older Adults

Introduction: Older adults, who already have higher levels of social isolation, loneliness, and sedentary behavior, are particularly susceptible to negative impacts from social distancing mandates meant to control the spread of COVID-19. We sought to explore the physical, mental, and social health i...

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Autores principales: Greenwood-Hickman, Mikael Anne, Dahlquist, Jacklyn, Cooper, Julie, Holden, Erika, McClure, Jennifer B., Mettert, Kayne D., Perry, Stephen R., Rosenberg, Dori E.
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Frontiers Media S.A. 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8170019/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34095079
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.679976
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author Greenwood-Hickman, Mikael Anne
Dahlquist, Jacklyn
Cooper, Julie
Holden, Erika
McClure, Jennifer B.
Mettert, Kayne D.
Perry, Stephen R.
Rosenberg, Dori E.
author_facet Greenwood-Hickman, Mikael Anne
Dahlquist, Jacklyn
Cooper, Julie
Holden, Erika
McClure, Jennifer B.
Mettert, Kayne D.
Perry, Stephen R.
Rosenberg, Dori E.
author_sort Greenwood-Hickman, Mikael Anne
collection PubMed
description Introduction: Older adults, who already have higher levels of social isolation, loneliness, and sedentary behavior, are particularly susceptible to negative impacts from social distancing mandates meant to control the spread of COVID-19. We sought to explore the physical, mental, and social health impacts of the pandemic on older adults and their coping techniques. Materials and Methods: We conducted 25 semi-structured interviews with a sub-sample of participants in an ongoing sedentary behavior reduction intervention. Interviews were recorded and transcribed, and iterative coding was used to extract key themes. Results: Most participants reported an increase in sedentary behavior due to limitations on leaving their home and increased free time to pursue seated hobbies (e.g., reading, knitting, tv). However, many participants also reported increased levels of intentional physical activity and exercise, particularly outdoors or online. Participants also reported high levels of stress and a large decrease in in-person social connection. Virtual connection with others through phone and video was commonly used to stay connected with friends and family, engage in community groups and activities, and cope with stress and social isolation. Maintenance of a positive attitude and perspective gained from past hardships was also an important coping strategy for many participants. Discussion: The COVID-19 pandemic and associated social distancing measures have impacted older adults' perceived levels of activity, stress, and social isolation, but many leveraged technology and prior life experiences to cope. These themes could inform future interventions for older adults dealing with chronic stress and isolation.
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spelling pubmed-81700192021-06-03 “They're Going to Zoom It”: A Qualitative Investigation of Impacts and Coping Strategies During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Older Adults Greenwood-Hickman, Mikael Anne Dahlquist, Jacklyn Cooper, Julie Holden, Erika McClure, Jennifer B. Mettert, Kayne D. Perry, Stephen R. Rosenberg, Dori E. Front Public Health Public Health Introduction: Older adults, who already have higher levels of social isolation, loneliness, and sedentary behavior, are particularly susceptible to negative impacts from social distancing mandates meant to control the spread of COVID-19. We sought to explore the physical, mental, and social health impacts of the pandemic on older adults and their coping techniques. Materials and Methods: We conducted 25 semi-structured interviews with a sub-sample of participants in an ongoing sedentary behavior reduction intervention. Interviews were recorded and transcribed, and iterative coding was used to extract key themes. Results: Most participants reported an increase in sedentary behavior due to limitations on leaving their home and increased free time to pursue seated hobbies (e.g., reading, knitting, tv). However, many participants also reported increased levels of intentional physical activity and exercise, particularly outdoors or online. Participants also reported high levels of stress and a large decrease in in-person social connection. Virtual connection with others through phone and video was commonly used to stay connected with friends and family, engage in community groups and activities, and cope with stress and social isolation. Maintenance of a positive attitude and perspective gained from past hardships was also an important coping strategy for many participants. Discussion: The COVID-19 pandemic and associated social distancing measures have impacted older adults' perceived levels of activity, stress, and social isolation, but many leveraged technology and prior life experiences to cope. These themes could inform future interventions for older adults dealing with chronic stress and isolation. Frontiers Media S.A. 2021-05-19 /pmc/articles/PMC8170019/ /pubmed/34095079 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.679976 Text en Copyright © 2021 Greenwood-Hickman, Dahlquist, Cooper, Holden, McClure, Mettert, Perry and Rosenberg. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
spellingShingle Public Health
Greenwood-Hickman, Mikael Anne
Dahlquist, Jacklyn
Cooper, Julie
Holden, Erika
McClure, Jennifer B.
Mettert, Kayne D.
Perry, Stephen R.
Rosenberg, Dori E.
“They're Going to Zoom It”: A Qualitative Investigation of Impacts and Coping Strategies During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Older Adults
title “They're Going to Zoom It”: A Qualitative Investigation of Impacts and Coping Strategies During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Older Adults
title_full “They're Going to Zoom It”: A Qualitative Investigation of Impacts and Coping Strategies During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Older Adults
title_fullStr “They're Going to Zoom It”: A Qualitative Investigation of Impacts and Coping Strategies During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Older Adults
title_full_unstemmed “They're Going to Zoom It”: A Qualitative Investigation of Impacts and Coping Strategies During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Older Adults
title_short “They're Going to Zoom It”: A Qualitative Investigation of Impacts and Coping Strategies During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Older Adults
title_sort “they're going to zoom it”: a qualitative investigation of impacts and coping strategies during the covid-19 pandemic among older adults
topic Public Health
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8170019/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34095079
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.679976
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