Abstract
Research on the biopsychosocial effects of COVID-19 on older persons (60+ years) has predominately originated from the global north with a dearth of studies focusing on the loneliness and social support of older persons in the developing world. Applying a socio-ecological resilience perspective, this study aimed to determine and compare the loneliness and social support among South African older persons during COVID-19. A cross-sectional survey was operationalised to collect data from community-dwelling older persons (n=139) and those residing in residential care (n=99) during COVID-19 through availability sampling. The 11-item loneliness scale (De Jong Gierveld & Van Tilburg, 1999) measured overall loneliness and two sub-scales. The 19-item MOS Social Support survey (Sherbourne & Stewart, 1991) was used to measure the availability of social support across four domains. Furthermore, the survey focused on social contact, number of close friends/relatives, socio-demographics, as well as subjective physical and mental health, respectively. Bivariate analyses (t-tests) were run to explore any statistically significant differences between the two groups. Community-dwelling older persons measured with marginally higher levels of loneliness. Interestingly, no statistically significant differences were identified between the two groups. Community-dwelling older persons measured higher on social support than their peers in residential care. Nonetheless, only affectionate social support was found to be significantly different (p<0.01). Based on the results, a bouquet of gerontological social services for resource-constrained settings are recommended to enable older persons to navigate towards reduced levels of loneliness and their desired social supports during future pandemics.
Presenters
Stephan GeyerAssociate Professor, Social Work and Criminology, University of Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa Barbra Teater
Professor of Social Work, College of Staten Island and The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Older People in Emergency Situations
KEYWORDS
Loneliness,Social Support,Pandemic,COVID-19,Gerontological Social Work Services, Socio-ecological resilience
