Are non-face-to-face interactions an effective strategy for maintaining mental and physical health?

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to social isolation measures, forcing many people to stay indoors, stop daily outdoor activities, and limit face-to-face social interactions with friends, colleagues, and family. This study aimed to identify if non-face-to-face interaction affects depressive symptoms and frailty in older adults.

We included 3834 older adults (age: 71.1 ± 6.9 [mean ± standard deviation] years; range: 60-96 years; 2153 women) from the National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology-Study of Geriatric Syndromes. Interaction status was assessed using a self-reported questionnaire. Participants were categorized into: "both interactions" (both face-to-face and non-face-to-face interactions), "face-to-face only" (only face-to-face interactions), "non-face-to-face only" (only non-face-to-face interactions), "no interactions" (neither face-to-face nor non-face-to-face interactions) groups. Depressive symptoms and frailty were measured using the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale and Kihon Checklist, respectively.

Potential confounding factors-adjusted odds ratios for both, face-to-face only and non-face-to-face only groups for developing depressive symptoms were 0.39 (95%CI, 0.26-0.57; p<0.001), 0.56 (95%CI, 0.38-0.84; p=0.004), and 0.51 (95%CI, 0.27-0.96; p=0.038), respectively, and those for development of frailty were 0.44 (95%CI, 0.30-0.65; p<0.001), 0.59 (95%CI, 0.39-0.87; p=0.008), and 0.63 (95%CI, 0.34-1.15; p=0.128), respectively.

Our findings indicate that non-face-to-face interactions are also important in preventing the deterioration of mental health, which is a concern during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, non-face-to-face interactions alone may not be sufficient to maintain physical health, and it is important to maintain opportunities for face-to-face interaction among older adults, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.