TY - JOUR
T1 - COVID-19 related loneliness and sleep problems in older adults
T2 - Worries and resilience as potential moderators
AU - Grossman, Ephraim S.
AU - Hoffman, Yaakov S.G.
AU - Palgi, Yuval
AU - Shrira, Amit
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020
PY - 2021/1/1
Y1 - 2021/1/1
N2 - Objectives: Older adults may experience loneliness due to social distancing and isolation during the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Loneliness may further catalyze numerous poor health outcomes including impaired sleep. This study aimed to assess COVID-19 related worries and resilience as potential moderators of the loneliness-sleep problems link. Method: In the midst of the lock-down period of COVID-19, we collected data using a web-based public platform from 243 Israeli older adults (mean age = 69.76, SD = 6.69, age range = 60–92). Participants completed measures of COVID-19 related loneliness, sleep problems, COVID-related worries, and resilience. Results: COVID-19 related loneliness was related to more sleep problems. The loneliness-sleep association was especially strong among those with more COVID-19 related worries or among those with lower resilience. Conclusion: The relationship between COVID-19 related loneliness and sleep problems is not uniform across older adults. The subjective sleep quality of those with more COVID-19 related worries or less resilience (i.e., feeling less being able to adapt to the challenging circumstances) is more susceptible to feeling lonely. Considering these variables may facilitate detection of and intervention for older adults vulnerable to aversive results in the context of COVID-19.
AB - Objectives: Older adults may experience loneliness due to social distancing and isolation during the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Loneliness may further catalyze numerous poor health outcomes including impaired sleep. This study aimed to assess COVID-19 related worries and resilience as potential moderators of the loneliness-sleep problems link. Method: In the midst of the lock-down period of COVID-19, we collected data using a web-based public platform from 243 Israeli older adults (mean age = 69.76, SD = 6.69, age range = 60–92). Participants completed measures of COVID-19 related loneliness, sleep problems, COVID-related worries, and resilience. Results: COVID-19 related loneliness was related to more sleep problems. The loneliness-sleep association was especially strong among those with more COVID-19 related worries or among those with lower resilience. Conclusion: The relationship between COVID-19 related loneliness and sleep problems is not uniform across older adults. The subjective sleep quality of those with more COVID-19 related worries or less resilience (i.e., feeling less being able to adapt to the challenging circumstances) is more susceptible to feeling lonely. Considering these variables may facilitate detection of and intervention for older adults vulnerable to aversive results in the context of COVID-19.
KW - COVID-19
KW - Loneliness
KW - Resilience
KW - Sleep problems
KW - Worries
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85090147024&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.paid.2020.110371
DO - 10.1016/j.paid.2020.110371
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AN - SCOPUS:85090147024
SN - 0191-8869
VL - 168
JO - Personality and Individual Differences
JF - Personality and Individual Differences
M1 - 110371
ER -