Pre-pandemic stress and current mood predicts sedentary older adults' social and psychological stress about COVID-19
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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14288/hfjc.v14i3.738Keywords:
Older Adults, Physical Activity, COVID-19, Stress, Anxiety, DepressionAbstract
Background: Physical activity (PA) benefits mental health and stress; however, older adults report a reduction in PA during the last year of the pandemic. Purpose: Utilizing data from the baseline assessment of a randomized control trial administering physical exercise training, this study examines the impact of mental health, and PA and stress (before and during COVID-19) on the perceived threat (PTC) and psychological impact (PIC) of COVID-19 in Canadian older adults. Methods: 58 older adults (Mage=68.7; 76% female) reporting lower levels of current PA, were assessed for self-reported stress (before and during COVID-19), depressive symptoms (Geriatric Depression Scale), anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7), and PTC and PIC (Social Psychological Measurements of COVID-19). Multivariate multiple regression was used to evaluate the impact of anxiety, depression, and PA and stress (before and during COVID-19) on PTC and PIC. Results: PA (before and during COVID) did not predict PTC or PIC. PIC was predicted by high levels of stress before COVID-19 (b=0.35, p<.01, sr2=.12) and greater depressive symptoms (b=.44, p<.001, sr2=.16), accounting for 31% of the variance. PTC was predicted by higher anxiety (b=.40, p<.001, sr2=.14) and depressive symptoms (b=.28, p=.03, sr2=.06), accounting for 28% of the variance. Conclusions: These results suggest that mental health and stress impact older adults’ perceived threat and psychological impact of COVID-19, possibly exacerbated by poor engagement on PA. Funding: Study funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and an internal research grant, University of Victoria
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Copyright (c) 2021 Amanda M. Webber, Alejandra Contreras, Kirsten Milligan, Mauricio A. Garcia-Barrera
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