@Article{info:doi/10.2196/37046,
author="Xu, Zhimin
and Ghisi, Gabriela Lima de Melo
and Cui, Lixian
and Zeng, Fang
and Zhou, Xiaohai
and Yue, Zhongtang
and Chen, Hanbei",
title="The Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Health Among Older Adults From Different Communities in Chengmai County, China: Cross-sectional Study",
journal="JMIR Form Res",
year="2022",
month="May",
day="6",
volume="6",
number="5",
pages="e37046",
keywords="mental health; COVID-19; depression; anxiety; aged; aging; older adults",
abstract="Background: Due to the strict measures employed to control the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the extent of COVID-19 goes beyond morbidity and mortality and affects individuals' mental health in the long term. Objective: This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and its contributing factors among older people in Chengmai County, China. Methods: A web-based survey was administered through WeChat between March and April 2020. Older people (ie, >50 years) from local and foreign community groups completed the survey, which included items on sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7), and the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Independent t tests and a multiple linear regression analysis were used to investigate differences between anxiety and depression and the factors associated with these symptoms across the 2 groups. Results: Overall, 469 responses were received; 119 responses (25.4{\%}) were from male participants and 202 (43.1{\%}) were from those older than 65 years. Of the 469 responses, 245 (52.2{\%}) were from the local community group and 224 (47.8{\%}) from the foreign group. The mean GAD-7 (P=.003) scores were significantly higher in the local group. Anxiety was significantly more present in the local group (61/245, 24.9{\%} compared to 35/224, 15.6{\%} in the foreign group; P=.01). A total of 6 respondents presented severe anxiety and 2 presented severe depression. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that both community groups of older adults from the Chinese ``Hometown of Longevity'' presented anxiety or depressive disorders during the first months of the pandemic. Local community groups presented significantly more mental health disorders, which were associated with a history of previous psychological disorders. ",
issn="2561-326X",
doi="10.2196/37046",
url="https://formative.jmir.org/2022/5/e37046",
url="https://doi.org/10.2196/37046",
url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35404834"
}