ABSTRACT

Objectives

Little is known about the diversity of older adults’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. We therefore investigated the pandemic experiences of home-living vulnerable older adults with depression, an understudied subpopulation.

Methods

We conducted unstructured interviews with N= 20 older (60+ years) adults with clinical depression receiving care in their homes in June and again in December 2020. Interviews were coded according to the grounded theory approach.

Results

We identified eight themes. Participants described feeling disconnected before and during the pandemic, which they attributed to their physical impairments and old age. Their social relations with family, medical providers, and caregivers helped them feel connected. Participants did not feel significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but they missed social and physical contact. During the pandemic, isolation was normalized. Participants therefore experienced loneliness due to their isolation, but also a sense of togetherness with the rest of society. Isolation within the home was re-framed as cocooning, which provided a sense of autonomy. Participants nevertheless expressed resignation.

Conclusions

Home-living vulnerable older adults with depression experienced loneliness but also a degree of relief during the pandemic.

Clinical implications

Positively re-framing isolation and the stability of formal caregiving helped participants endure feeling disconnected during the pandemic.

中文翻译：

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COVID-19 大流行期间患有临床抑郁症的居家弱势老年人的经历：一项定性研究

摘要

目标

人们对 COVID-19 大流行期间老年人经历的多样性知之甚少。因此，我们调查了患有抑郁症的居家弱势老年人这一未被充分研究的亚人群的流行病经历。

方法

我们于 2020 年 6 月和 2020 年 12 月对N = 20 名患有临床抑郁症的老年人（60 岁以上）在家中接受护理进行了非结构化访谈。访谈根据扎根理论方法进行编码。

结果

我们确定了八个主题。参与者描述了在大流行之前和期间感到与世隔绝的感觉，他们将此归因于身体损伤和年老。他们与家人、医疗服务提供者和护理人员的社会关系帮助他们感受到联系。参与者并未感受到COVID-19 大流行的重大影响，但他们错过了社交和身体接触。疫情期间，隔离已常态化。因此，参与者因孤立而体验到孤独感，但也感受到与社会其他人的团结感。在家中的隔离被重新定义为“茧居”，这提供了一种自主感。尽管如此，参与者还是表示辞职。

结论

在大流行期间，患有抑郁症的居家弱势老年人经历了孤独，但也得到了一定程度的缓解。

临床意义

积极地重新定义隔离和正式护理的稳定性有助于参与者在大流行期间忍受与世隔绝的感觉。