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Addressing the Experiences of Family Caregivers of Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Finland

This cross-sectional study assessed the experiences of family caregivers of older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were recruited (n = 101) between April and December 2019. We applied a mixed-method approach. Quantitative data were analyzed using an independent samples t-test and lo...

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Autores principales: Savela, Roosa-Maria, Välimäki, Tarja, Nykänen, Irma, Koponen, Sohvi, Suominen, Anna Liisa, Schwab, Ursula
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: SAGE Publications 2022
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9096174/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35543183
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/07334648221095510
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author Savela, Roosa-Maria
Välimäki, Tarja
Nykänen, Irma
Koponen, Sohvi
Suominen, Anna Liisa
Schwab, Ursula
author_facet Savela, Roosa-Maria
Välimäki, Tarja
Nykänen, Irma
Koponen, Sohvi
Suominen, Anna Liisa
Schwab, Ursula
author_sort Savela, Roosa-Maria
collection PubMed
description This cross-sectional study assessed the experiences of family caregivers of older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were recruited (n = 101) between April and December 2019. We applied a mixed-method approach. Quantitative data were analyzed using an independent samples t-test and logistic regression analysis, and qualitative experiences with modified thematic content analysis. The mean age of the family caregivers was 76 years (SD = 7), and 72% were females. Experiences of loneliness and worry during the pandemic were evaluated by self-assessment. Approximately one-third of the participants reported loneliness and worry. These experiences were further associated with female sex, increased psychological distress and depressive symptoms, and decreased physical condition and social relationships. Family caregivers were also worried about the pandemic’s impact on health and well-being. Thus, the COVID-19 pandemic has added an extra psychosocial load to family caregivers. The post-pandemic era requires increased attention to re-evaluating policies and services.
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spelling pubmed-90961742022-05-13 Addressing the Experiences of Family Caregivers of Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Finland Savela, Roosa-Maria Välimäki, Tarja Nykänen, Irma Koponen, Sohvi Suominen, Anna Liisa Schwab, Ursula J Appl Gerontol COVID-19 Research This cross-sectional study assessed the experiences of family caregivers of older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were recruited (n = 101) between April and December 2019. We applied a mixed-method approach. Quantitative data were analyzed using an independent samples t-test and logistic regression analysis, and qualitative experiences with modified thematic content analysis. The mean age of the family caregivers was 76 years (SD = 7), and 72% were females. Experiences of loneliness and worry during the pandemic were evaluated by self-assessment. Approximately one-third of the participants reported loneliness and worry. These experiences were further associated with female sex, increased psychological distress and depressive symptoms, and decreased physical condition and social relationships. Family caregivers were also worried about the pandemic’s impact on health and well-being. Thus, the COVID-19 pandemic has added an extra psychosocial load to family caregivers. The post-pandemic era requires increased attention to re-evaluating policies and services. SAGE Publications 2022-05-11 2022-08 /pmc/articles/PMC9096174/ /pubmed/35543183 http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/07334648221095510 Text en © The Author(s) 2022 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage)
spellingShingle COVID-19 Research
Savela, Roosa-Maria
Välimäki, Tarja
Nykänen, Irma
Koponen, Sohvi
Suominen, Anna Liisa
Schwab, Ursula
Addressing the Experiences of Family Caregivers of Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Finland
title Addressing the Experiences of Family Caregivers of Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Finland
title_full Addressing the Experiences of Family Caregivers of Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Finland
title_fullStr Addressing the Experiences of Family Caregivers of Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Finland
title_full_unstemmed Addressing the Experiences of Family Caregivers of Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Finland
title_short Addressing the Experiences of Family Caregivers of Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Finland
title_sort addressing the experiences of family caregivers of older adults during the covid-19 pandemic in finland
topic COVID-19 Research
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9096174/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35543183
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/07334648221095510
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