Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 26, 2025
07:40
Validation of a Psychosocial Intervention on Body Image in Older People: An Experimental Design
Published on: May 31, 2021
3.2K
Understanding Loneliness in Older Adults During the Pandemic: Predictors and Questionnaire Validation
Rahela Orlandini1,2, Linda Lušić Kalcina2,3, Vesna Antičević1
1University Department of Health Studies, University of Split, 21000 Split, Croatia.
Diseases (Basel, Switzerland)
|February 25, 2025
Summary
Psychological factors significantly predicted loneliness in older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Emotional stability mediated the link between social distancing and loneliness, highlighting its importance for mental health in future crises.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Psychology
- Public Health
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic offers lessons for future crisis preparedness.
- Understanding loneliness predictors in older adults is crucial for mental health.
- Emotional stability's role in mitigating pandemic stress requires examination.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify predictors of loneliness in older adults during the pandemic.
- To explore the mediating effect of emotional stability on pandemic stressors and loneliness.
- To develop and validate a questionnaire for pandemic-specific stressors in older adults.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study with 578 participants aged 65+.
- Utilized self-reported measures including personality, loneliness, and pandemic stressors.
- Employed exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, hierarchical regression, and mediation analysis.
Main Results:
- Psychological factors were the strongest predictors of loneliness in older adults.
- Marital status and pandemic stressors had a smaller but significant impact.
- Emotional stability mediated the relationship between social distancing experiences and loneliness.
Conclusions:
- Prioritizing psychological factors is essential for older adults' mental health during pandemics.
- The developed questionnaire effectively identifies pandemic stressors in older adults.
- Findings aid in mitigating stressors and facilitating recovery from future crises.
Related Concept Videos
02:20Longitudinal Research
11.8K
Sometimes we want to see how people change over time, as in studies of human development and lifespan. When we test the same group of individuals repeatedly over an extended period of time, we are conducting longitudinal research. Longitudinal research is a research design in which data-gathering is administered repeatedly over an extended period of time. For example, we may survey a group of individuals about their dietary habits at age 20, retest them a decade later at age 30, and then again...
11.8K
01:27Erikson's Theory on Socioemotional Development during Adulthood
46
Erik Erikson's theory of psychosocial development outlines a series of stages through which individuals progress across the lifespan. Each stage involves a psychosocial conflict that significantly influences personal growth and well-being. Three key stages — intimacy versus isolation, generativity versus stagnation, and integrity versus despair — highlight the developmental challenges faced in adulthood.
Intimacy Versus Isolation in Early Adulthood
Individuals in early...
Intimacy Versus Isolation in Early Adulthood
Individuals in early...
46
01:30Cognitive Development During Adulthood
44
Cognitive development continues throughout adulthood, undergoing significant shifts across early, middle, and late stages. Individual transition occurs from adolescent idealism to pragmatic and adaptable thinking in early adulthood. During this period, individuals learn to integrate personal beliefs with the recognition that other perspectives are equally valid. Exposure to the complexities of modern society, diverse experiences, and higher education contribute to this adaptive thought process,...
44
01:29Reliability and Validity
12.7K
Reliability and validity are two important considerations that must be made with any type of data collection. Reliability refers to the ability to consistently produce a given result. In the context of psychological research, this would mean that any instruments or tools used to collect data do so in consistent, reproducible ways.
12.7K
02:16Surveys
14.7K
Often, psychologists develop surveys as a means of gathering data. Surveys are lists of questions to be answered by research participants, and can be delivered as paper-and-pencil questionnaires, administered electronically, or conducted verbally. Generally, the survey itself can be completed in a short time, and the ease of administering a survey makes it easy to collect data from a large number of people.
14.7K
01:26Longitudinal Studies
116
Longitudinal studies are also widely used in other medical and social science fields. For instance, in cardiovascular research, they can monitor patients' health over decades to identify risk factors for heart disease, such as high cholesterol or smoking, and evaluate the long-term effectiveness of preventive measures. Similarly, in mental health studies, researchers might follow individuals from adolescence into adulthood to understand the development and progression of conditions like...
116