Recovery of psychological wellbeing following the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal analysis of the English longitudinal study of ageing.

Objectives: To assess changes in positive psychological wellbeing and depression before, during and after the pandemic in older people, and evaluate whether mental wellbeing had returned to pre-pandemic levels after the pandemic. We also tested whether these responses varied by age, gender, living arrangements and economic resources.

Method: We used 3999 ELSA participants aged 50+ with data during (June/July and November/December 2020), before (2012-2019) and after (2021-23) the pandemic. Three elements of positive psychological wellbeing (affective, eudaemonic, evaluative wellbeing) were assessed along with depressive symptoms. Two-way fixed-effects linear regression models were used to estimate trajectories of outcomes.

Results: Positive wellbeing declined in mid-2020, with further decreases in late 2020. These responses were related to economic prosperity and age. All aspects of positive wellbeing improved after the pandemic, with eudaemonic and evaluative wellbeing surpassing pre-pandemic levels. Conversely, the prevalence of depressive symptoms increased from 11.4% before the pandemic to 27.2% during the pandemic, but remained above pre-pandemic levels in 2021-23 (14.9%).

Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted depressive symptoms and the positive wellbeing of older people. Attention should focus on the positive aspects of healthy mental ageing in periods of societal disruptions, as specific population sectors remain particularly vulnerable.