Mental health of the elderly during the first wave of the coronavirus epidemic

Correlation between patterns of social relations and changes in mental health in Hungary

Abstract

The coronavirus pandemic has severely affected the elderly age group, but during the second wave a considerable proportion of middle-aged people also became ill. In Hungary, at the time of the decline of the 3rd wave – in the third phase of lifting the restrictions – 92.7 per cent of those who died due to COVID-19 infection were aged 60 or older. The age structure of the deceased was very similar to that of other countries. As the health of vulnerable seniors is highly prone to the more serious diseases caused by the coronavirus, strict government restrictions were introduced worldwide when the epidemic broke out in order to protect them. However, in addition to post-epidemic insecurity, lifestyle changes and financial hardship, this social isolation can cause severe psychological and emotional strain. In all such situations, forms of social support available through networks of personal contacts play a key role. The study explores how the mental well-being of people over the age of 50 has changed in Hungary since the outbreak in an international comparison, and also investigates how patterns of social relationships are related to changes in mental health, using the international database of SHARE COVID-19 for our analysis. Based on our results, on the one hand, a trivial conclusion is drawn: the lack of a network increases the severity of depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, and loneliness the most. It has been an interesting outcome, however, that those with an intense close-knit network had a higher risk of worsening mental symptoms compared to those with various contact activities. We also found that electronic communication – telephone, Skype, etc. – did not help: there was a particularly high probability of worsening depression in this group compared to the contact-intensive group. Another interesting result is that both in the group dominated by family relationships and among those with various relationships, the chances of worsening mental symptoms are lower, therefore, personal contact – whether with family members or other acquaintances – in fact provides protection.