Coping Strategies Associated with Depression and Anxiety in Older Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: How older adults cope with negative emotional states in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis needs further investigation because elderly individuals are more vulnerable to and more severely affected by COVID-19 health conditions. This study aims to explore the level of depression and anxiety, determining how they correlate to coping strategies, and the effect of some demographics on the main variables.
Method: This study gathered data between March and May of 2022 among adults aged 65 and above who lived in Sulaimaniya city during the data collection process. The first two subscales of the DASS-21 scale were used to measure geriatric depression and anxiety. Furthermore, determining coping ways depended on a scale developed by the second author of this study.
Results: the results demonstrated that participants showed a moderate anxiety level (M= 4.33: SD= 3.62) and depression (M=6.39: SD=4.74). Regarding the prevalence of their coping methods, spiritual engagement was the most widely practiced coping mechanism. Spearman's rho correlation indicated a positive association between anxiety and coping subscales of passivity and avoidance, r (392) = [.308], [P=.000]; r (392) = [.019], [p= .703] respectively. An inverse significant correlation was found between depression and coping subscales of spiritual connection, r (392) = [-.318], [P=.000], seeking social support r (392) = [-.150], [P=.003], and positive attitude r (392) = [-.224], [P=.000]. The mediation analysis reveals that social support didn’t significantly mediate the relationship between anxiety and depression.
Conclusion: The psychological well-being of older adults is impacted by viral diseases. It is essential to understand how individuals can cope with the psychological consequences of a communicable pandemic. Their moderate levels of depression and anxiety may be decreased more through using spiritual engagement, positive attitude, and social support seeking, but passive coping ways, such as avoidance and passivity, are negatively correlated with them.