Social networks and mental health change in older adults after the Covid-19 outbreak.

Aging Ment Health

Israel Gerontological Data Center, Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mount Scopus, Jerusalem, Israel.

Published: May 2022

AI Article Synopsis

  • The article investigates how social networks affect mental health after the COVID-19 outbreak, focusing on depression and anxiety levels.
  • It analyzes data from a 2020 survey linked to earlier health data, examining the effects of in-person and electronic contacts on mental health changes while controlling for other factors.
  • The results indicate that in-person social interactions helped reduce mental health decline, whereas electronic communication worsened it, highlighting the importance of physical social networks during the pandemic.

Article Abstract

Objectives: This article examines the influence of social networks on selected aspects of mental health following the outbreak of the coronavirus.

Method: We linked data from a post outbreak telephone survey in 2020 by the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, with baseline data from SHARE Wave 6 (2016) ( = 33,485). Two mental health measures (depression and anxiety) were regressed on social network variables relevant to the Covid-19 crisis (frequency of face-to-face contact and frequency of contact through electronic means), controlling for confounders. Interactions of age group and social networks were considered. Baseline mental health was controlled, focusing the analysis on post-outbreak mental health change.

Results: Face-to-face network contact significantly reduced negative mental health changes while electronic contact significantly increased them. The age interactions were insignificant. Country differences were observed.

Conclusion: The findings suggest that face-to-face social networks can moderate the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on important aspects of mental health.

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Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2021.1902468DOI Listing

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