Geriatric vulnerability during COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Background: geriatric persons are more likely to be frail and have less resilience to psychological stressors.Objectives: to determine elders vulnerability during COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: Predefined questionnaires were fulfilled by 500 participants from variousgovernorates in Egypt. The survey consists of four tools including: COVID-19 anxiety scale, COVID-19 Coping inventory (C-19C), The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, State version (STAIS – Anxiety scale) and Coping Responses inventory (CRI). One way ANOVA test was conducted to compare the effects of age on different aspects of anxiety and coping related to COVID-19 pandemic followed by a Tukey post hoc test to make pair wise comparisons between group means.Results: The elders group (aged ≥ 60 years) consisted of 24 males and 46 females. Incomparison to younger age groups, older females had the highest scores in the COVID-19 anxiety scale (M= 61.565, p-value < 0.001) and the lowest scores in different subscales of both coping scales. This was shown in the coping responses inventory (M= 99.369, p <0.01) with seven out of its subscales and COVID-19 coping Inventory with three of its subscales. While, older males had the lowest scores in coping strategies inventory (M= 103.75, p-value <0.05) with all of its16 subscales except for the emotional discharge subscale and in the COVID-19 coping Inventory (M= 8.10870, p-value .005) with 2 of its subscales. However, they didn't have statistically significant increase in COVID-19 anxiety pandemic.Conclusion: COVID-19 pandemic has a major psychological impact on the society with the greatest burden among elders females.