Age Differences in Stress, Life Changes, and Social Ties During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Implications for Psychological Well-Being

• Published in: The Gerontologist 2021-03, Vol.61 (2), p.205-216
• Main Authors: Birditt, Kira S, Turkelson, Angela, Fingerman, Karen L, Polenick, Courtney A, Oya, Akari
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age differences; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Anxiety; Consumers; COVID-19; Female; Humans; Interpersonal relations; Male; Mental health; Older people; Pandemics; Personal relationships; Psychological distress; Psychological research; Quality; Quality of Life; Research design; SARS-CoV-2; Social change; Social Isolation; Social networks; Special Issue: Gerontology in a Time of Pandemic, Part II; Stress; Stress, Psychological - epidemiology; Vulnerability; Well being; Young adults
• ISSN: 0016-9013; 1758-5341
• DOI: 10.1093/geront/gnaa204

Experiences of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and its implications for psychological well-being may vary widely across the adult life span. The present study examined age differences in pandemic-related stress and social ties, and links with psychological well-being. Participants included 645 adults (43% women) aged 18-97 (M = 50.8; SD = 17.7) from the May 2020 nationally representative Survey of Consumers. Participants reported the extent to which they felt stress related to the pandemic in the last month, the extent to which their lives had changed due to the pandemic, as well as social isolation, negative relationship quality, positive relationship quality, and frequency of depression, anxiety, and rumination in the past week. Results showed that older people reported less pandemic-related stress, less life change, less social isolation, and lower negative relationship quality than younger people. Greater pandemic-related stress, life change, social isolation, and negative relationship quality were associated with poorer psychological well-being. Poorer social ties (i.e., greater social isolation and negative quality) exacerbated the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic (stress, life change) on psychological well-being. Researchers have indicated that older adults may be more vulnerable to COVID-19 pandemic-related stress and social isolation, but this study indicates that young adults may be relatively more vulnerable. Because isolation and negative relationship quality appear to exacerbate the deleterious effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on psychological well-being, reducing social isolation and negative relations are potential targets for intervention.