Effects of fear of COVID-19 on older volunteers' willingness to continue their activities: REPRINTS cohort study.

Aim: This study examined the effects of fear of COVID-19 on older volunteers' willingness to continue activities that required face-to-face interactions.

Methods: From September to November 2020, a self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted with 481 older adult volunteers. A total of 423 responses were collected; 343 had no missing items and were included in the analysis. Analysis items included willingness to continue volunteer activities, fear of COVID-19, mental and physical health, and a group of items related to factors influencing the continuation of volunteer activities.

Results: The structural analysis of covariance indicated that volunteer orientation, which included items considered to be factors for continuing volunteer activities, had a significant positive influence on the willingness to continue activities. Fear of COVID-19 had a significant negative effect on the latent variable mental and physical health, which consisted of a subjective sense of health, but fear of COVID-19 and physical and mental health had no significant effect on the willingness to continue volunteering.

Conclusions: Our results suggest that the willingness of older adults to continue volunteer activities during the COVID-19 pandemic is influenced by their volunteer orientation and is not affected by their fear of COVID-19. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2024; 24: 370-376.