Loneliness, Social Support, and Cognitive Reserve of Older Adults in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Santos, Luísa Teixeira dos; Hamdan, Amer Cavalheiro

doi:10.1590/1982-4327e3404

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Psychology of Health • Paidéia (Ribeirão Preto) 34 • 2024 • https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-4327e3404 copy

Loneliness, Social Support, and Cognitive Reserve of Older Adults in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Solidão, Apoio Social e Reserva Cognitiva em Pessoas Idosas na Pandemia da COVID-19

Soledad, Apoyo Social y Reserva Cognitiva en Adultos Mayores en la Pandemia del COVID-19

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

Abstract:

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly affected the quality of life of older Brazilian adults. This study aimed to investigate the level of loneliness and social support of older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic and its relation with cognitive reserve, sociodemographic data, daily habits, and perceived health. An online cross-sectional study was conducted. The final sample consisted of 116 Brazilians aged over 60 years. The following instruments were used: sociodemographic questionnaire, questionnaire on the everyday habits during the pandemic, CRIq, Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale and MOS-SSS. The results showed a significant association between loneliness and social support. The regression models demonstrate the influence of perceived health and different forms of social contact in predicting social support and loneliness. These results evince the importance of the evaluation of factors related to the quality of life of older Brazilian adults during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords:
social support; cognitive reserve; loneliness; COVID-19; aging

Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Filosofia Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Psicologia Av.Bandeirantes 3900 - Monte Alegre, 14040-901 Ribeirão Preto - São Paulo - Brasil, Tel.: (55 16) 3315-3829 - Ribeirão Preto - SP - Brazil
E-mail: paideia@usp.br

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[1] Correspondence address:
Luísa Teixeira dos Santos. Universidade Federal do Paraná. Praça Santos Andrade, 50 - Centro, Curitiba - PR , Brazil . CEP 80.060-000 . Email: luisa.tsantos@hotmail.com

Variables	Mean	Standard deviation	Minimum	Maximum	N (%)
Age (years)	67.7	6.79	60	92
Schooling (years)	15.6	7.06	1	52
Gender
	Women				92 (79.3%)
	Man				24 (20.7%)
Marital status
	Married				59 (50.9%)
	Single				12 (10.3%)
	Widowed				26 (22.4%)
	Divorced				19 (16.4%)
Brazilian region
	South				70 (60.9%)
	Southeast				43 (37.4%)
	Other				2 (1.7%)
Living situation
	With spouse				46 (39.7%)
	With relatives				41 (35.3%)
	Alone				27 (23.3%)
	Other				2 (1.7%)
Self-perceived health
	Very good				29 (25%)
	Good				57 (49.1%)
	Average				25 (21.6%)
	Poor				5 (4.3%)

Variables		N (%)
Are you responsible for purchasing basic supplies?
	Yes	94 (81%)
	No	22 (19%)
How often were you visited by relatives or friends?
	More than once a week	21 (18.1%)
	Once a week	20 (17.2%)
	Once a month	16 (13.8%)
	Less than once a month	40 (34.5%)
	Never	19 (16.4%)
How often do you receive calls from people close to you?
	More than once a week	76 (65.5%)
	Once a week	26 (22.4%)
	Once a month	1 (0.9%)
	Less than once a month	10 (8.6%)
	Never	3 (2.6%)
Do you often use social media?
	Yes	89 (76.7%)
	No	27 (23.3%)
Do you often use chat and video conferencing apps?
	Yes	100 (86.2%)
	No	16 (13.8%)
Places visited during the pandemic
	Market	95 (81.9%)
	Drugstore	92 (79.3%)
	Grocery store	33 (28.4%)
	Religious institutions	31 (26.7%)
	Relatives’ home	53 (45.7%)
	Friends’ home	14 (12.1%)
	Park	26 (22.4%)
	Restaurant	27 (23.3%)
	Mall	22 (19%)
	Other	18 (15.5%)
	None	11 (9.5%)

Variables	Mean	Standard deviation	Minimum	Maximum		N (%)
MOS-SSS	74.4	18.8	19	95
UCLA-br	17.3	13.2	0	56
CRIq- school	127	26.1	74	244
CRIq- work	109	27.8	66	188
Weekly leisure time					Under 8 hours	45 (38.8)
					Over 8 hours	71 (61.2)

	Social support		Loneliness		CRIq-school		CRIq-work		Age		Schooling		Leisure hours		Visits		Calls
Loneliness	-0.61	^* ***** p < .001.	—
CRIq-school	0.05		-0.06		—
CRIq-work	-0.13		-0.01		0.45	^* ***** p < .001.	—
Age	0.13		0.10		-0.09		-0.16		—
Schooling	0.05		-0.13		0.86	^* ***** p < .001.	0.50	^* ***** p < .001.	-0.28	^ p < .01.	—
Leisure hours	0.26	^ p < .01.	-0.15		0.11		-0.05		0.11		0.04		—
Visits	0.36	^* ***** p < .001.	-0.25	^ p < .01.	0.10		-0.09		0.06		0.11		0.16		—
Calls	0.36	^* ***** p < .001.	-0.29	^ p < .01.	0.26	^ p < .01.	-0.00		-0.07		0.23	^* * p < .05.	0.24	^ p < .01.	0.26	^ p < .01.	—
Self-perceived health	0.28	^ p < .01.	-0.41	^* ***** p < .001.	0.20	^* * p < .05.	0.08		-0.20	^* * p < .05.	0.26	^ p < .01.	0.17		0.16		0.21	^* * p < .05.

	Predictor	Estimate	EP	t	p
Loneliness	Intercept	54.53	6.02	9.06	<0.001
	Calls	-4.4	1.24	-3.56	<0.001
	Health	-5.94	1.37	-4.32	<0.001
Model	R = 0.523	R² = 0.274	Adjusted R² = 0.261	F = 21.3
Social support	Intercept	39.32	6.43	6.12	<0.001
	Calls	7.07	1.98	3.58	<0.001
	Health	4.65	1.21	3.83	<0.001
Model	R = 0.484	R² = 0.234	Adjusted R² = 0.220	F = 17.2