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Triolo F, Saadeh M, Sjöberg L, Fratiglioni L, Welmer AK, Calderón-Larrañaga A, Dekhtyar S. Pre-pandemic Physical Function and Social Network in Relation to COVID-19-Associated Depressive Burden in Older Adults in Sweden. Innov Aging 2022; 6:igac041. [PMID: 35837440 PMCID: PMC9273957 DOI: 10.1093/geroni/igac041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background and Objectives
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, as well as the measures intended to limit its spread, have likely affected older adults’ depressive burden. Good physical functioning and a rich social network may benefit older adults’ mental health. We examined whether pre-pandemic physical functioning and social network were associated with depressive burden during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Stockholm, Sweden.
Research Design and Methods
A telephone assessment of depressive burden using the symptoms of sadness, anxiety, worrying, reduced sleep, and reduced appetite was conducted in May–September 2020 in 930 older adults from the Swedish National Study on Aging and Care in Kungsholmen (SNAC-K), an ongoing population-based study. Objective measures of gait speed, muscle strength, and balance; and self-reports of social connections and support were collected in 2016–2019. Logistic models were adjusted for sociodemographic, clinical, lifestyle, and pandemic-related factors (loneliness, change in physical and social engagement, and experience of death due to COVID-19).
Results
Only good muscle strength (odds ratio [OR]: 0.53; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.32–0.85; ref: poor strength, ≥17 s) and rich social support (OR: 0.67; 95% CI: 0.45–0.99; ref: poor support) exhibited an independent association with depressive burden, even after accounting for pandemic-related factors. A combination of good muscle strength and rich social support were associated with the greatest reduction in depressive burden (OR: 0.35; 95% CI: 0.18–0.66; ref: poor social support and poor muscle strength).
Discussion and Implications
Prepandemic social support and muscle strength could supply older adults with resilience against the depressive burden associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Triolo
- Aging Research Center, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University , Solna , Sweden
| | - Marguerita Saadeh
- Aging Research Center, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University , Solna , Sweden
| | - Linnea Sjöberg
- Aging Research Center, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University , Solna , Sweden
| | - Laura Fratiglioni
- Aging Research Center, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University , Solna , Sweden
- Stockholm Gerontology Research Center , Stockholm , Sweden
| | - Anna-Karin Welmer
- Aging Research Center, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University , Solna , Sweden
- Division of Physiotherapy, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet , Stockholm , Sweden
| | - Amaia Calderón-Larrañaga
- Aging Research Center, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University , Solna , Sweden
- Stockholm Gerontology Research Center , Stockholm , Sweden
| | - Serhiy Dekhtyar
- Aging Research Center, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University , Solna , Sweden
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