COVID-19 government measures and their impact on mental health: a cross-sectional study of older primary care patients in Germany.

ABSTRACT:

Background

With the outbreak of COVID-19, government measures including social distancing and restrictions of social contacts were imposed to slow the spread of the virus. Since older adults are at increased risk of severe disease, they were particularly affected by these restrictions. These may negatively affect mental health by loneliness and social isolation, which constitute risk factors for depressiveness. We aimed to analyse the impact of perceived restriction due to government measures on depressive symptoms and investigated stress as mediator in an at-risk-population in Germany.

Methods

Data were collected in April 2020 from the population of the AgeWell.de-study, including individuals with a Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging, and Incidence of Dementia (CAIDE

SUBMITTER: Wittmann FG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10239963 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature