Factors Associated with Loneliness and Psychological Distress in Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Kazakhstan: A Cross-Sectional Study.

IF 2.4 4区医学 Q1 MEDICINE, GENERAL & INTERNAL

Medicina-Lithuania Pub Date : 2025-04-11 DOI:10.3390/medicina61040703

Aigulsum Izekenova, Assel Izekenova, Dinara Sukenova, Dejan Nikolic, Yineng Chen, Alina Rakhmatullina, Ardak Nurbakyt

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Abstract

Background and Objectives: In Kazakhstan, during the COVID-19 pandemic, older adults faced unique challenges, such as limited healthcare resources and prolonged periods of social isolation. The aim of our study was to evaluate the sociodemographic and health-related factors associated with loneliness and psychological distress in older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic in Kazakhstan. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 445 participants aged 60 and above were recruited from Kazakhstan during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) was used to measure psychological distress, anxiety, and depression. Loneliness was assessed using the UCLA Loneliness Scale (UCLA-3). The sociodemographic and health-related variables of the tested participants were analyzed. Results: Mean values from the UCLA-3 (p < 0.001), PHQ-4 (p < 0.001), anxiety (p < 0.001), and depression (p < 0.001) scores significantly differed between different categories of self-reported overall health. Significantly higher mean values were found in older adults with hypertension for UCLA-3 (p = 0.025), PHQ-4 (p = 0.001), anxiety (p = 0.001), and depression (p = 0.017); diabetes for UCLA-3 (p = 0.023), PHQ-4 (p = 0.029), and depression (p = 0.001); chronic heart failure for UCLA-3 (p = 0.005), PHQ-4 (p < 0.001), anxiety (p = 0.001), and depression (p < 0.001); cerebrovascular disease for UCLA-3 (p = 0.024), PHQ-4 (p = 0.002), anxiety (p = 0.001), and depression (p = 0.027); cardiovascular disease for UCLA-3 (p < 0.001), PHQ-4 (p < 0.001), anxiety (p < 0.001), and depression (p < 0.001); dementia for anxiety (p = 0.046); being single for UCLA-3 (p = 0.009), PHQ-4 (p = 0.031), and depression (p = 0.028); other ethnic backgrounds for PHQ-4 (p = 0.004) and anxiety (p = 0.013); and living in an urban place for PHQ-4 (p = 0.043). Being single was shown to be a significant predictor for loneliness (OR 2.21; 95%CI 1.28-3.84), anxiety (OR 2.09; 95%CI 1.14-3.84), and depression (OR 4.23; 95%CI 1.95-9.15). Below-average (OR 5.79; 95%CI 1.09-30.90) self-reported overall health was shown to be a significant predictor of anxiety. Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that numerous sociodemographic and health-related factors were associated with loneliness, anxiety, and depression in older adults from Kazakhstan during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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哈萨克斯坦COVID-19大流行期间老年人孤独感和心理困扰相关因素：一项横断面研究

背景和目标：在2019冠状病毒病大流行期间，哈萨克斯坦的老年人面临着独特的挑战，例如有限的医疗资源和长期的社会隔离。本研究的目的是评估与哈萨克斯坦COVID-19大流行期间老年人孤独感和心理困扰相关的社会人口统计学和健康相关因素。材料与方法：在这项横断面研究中，在COVID-19大流行期间从哈萨克斯坦招募了445名60岁及以上的参与者。患者健康问卷-4 （PHQ-4）用于测量心理困扰、焦虑和抑郁。孤独感采用UCLA孤独感量表（UCLA-3）进行评估。对被试者的社会人口学和健康相关变量进行分析。结果：UCLA-3 （p < 0.001）、PHQ-4 （p < 0.001）、焦虑（p < 0.001）和抑郁（p < 0.001）得分的平均值在不同类别的自我报告整体健康之间存在显著差异。老年高血压患者UCLA-3 （p = 0.025）、PHQ-4 （p = 0.001）、焦虑（p = 0.001）和抑郁（p = 0.017）的平均值显著高于老年高血压患者；糖尿病患者为UCLA-3 （p = 0.023）、PHQ-4 （p = 0.029）和抑郁症（p = 0.001）；慢性心力衰竭与UCLA-3 （p = 0.005）、PHQ-4 （p < 0.001）、焦虑（p = 0.001）和抑郁（p < 0.001）有关；脑血管疾病的UCLA-3 （p = 0.024）、PHQ-4 （p = 0.002）、焦虑（p = 0.001）和抑郁（p = 0.027）；心血管疾病导致UCLA-3 （p < 0.001）、PHQ-4 （p < 0.001）、焦虑（p < 0.001）和抑郁（p < 0.001）；焦虑性痴呆（p = 0.046）；UCLA-3 （p = 0.009）、PHQ-4 （p = 0.031）和抑郁症（p = 0.028）均为单一基因；其他种族背景对PHQ-4 （p = 0.004）和焦虑（p = 0.013）的影响；居住在城市的PHQ-4 （p = 0.043）。单身被证明是孤独的显著预测因子(OR 2.21；95%CI 1.28-3.84)，焦虑(OR 2.09；95%CI 1.14-3.84)和抑郁(OR 4.23；95%可信区间1.95 - -9.15)。低于平均水平(OR 5.79；（95%可信区间1.09-30.90）自我报告的整体健康状况被证明是焦虑的重要预测因子。结论：我们的研究表明，在COVID-19大流行期间，许多社会人口统计学和健康相关因素与哈萨克斯坦老年人的孤独、焦虑和抑郁有关。

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来源期刊

Medicina-Lithuania 医学-医学：内科

CiteScore

3.30

自引率

3.80%

发文量

1578

审稿时长

25.04 days

期刊介绍： The journal’s main focus is on reviews as well as clinical and experimental investigations. The journal aims to advance knowledge related to problems in medicine in developing countries as well as developed economies, to disseminate research on global health, and to promote and foster prevention and treatment of diseases worldwide. MEDICINA publications cater to clinicians, diagnosticians and researchers, and serve as a forum to discuss the current status of health-related matters and their impact on a global and local scale.