COVID-19 pandemic linked to depression among older adults with asthma
During the COVID-19 pandemic, loneliness, family conflict and difficultly accessing health care raised the risk for first-time and recurrent depression among older adults with asthma, according to a study published in Respiratory Medicine.
“Our findings underline the importance of clinicians screening for depression among their older patients with asthma, whether or not their patients had experienced depression at any point of their pre-pandemic life,” Esme Fuller-Thomson, PhD, director of the Institute for Life Course and Aging at the University of Toronto and professor in the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, told Healio.
Fuller-Thomson and colleagues analyzed data of 2,017 older adults (mean age, 61.1 years; 59.8% women) with asthma from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging to identify factors linked to depression risk during COVID-19 in this patient population using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses.
The population included patients without a history of depression (n = 1,247) and those with a history of depression (n = 770), with depression assessed using the short form of the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies – Depression (CES-D-10) scale. Researchers used baseline data taken between 2011 and 2015, as well as follow-up data taken between 2015 to 2018, spring 2020 and autumn 2020.
Researchers found that 13.5% of patients who did not have prior depression developed it during the pandemic, whereas depression recurred among 48.6% patients with a history of depression in autumn 2020.
“We were dismayed to discover one in seven older adults with asthma who had no pre-pandemic history of depression were depressed during the autumn of 2020,” Fuller-Thomson told Healio. “Usually those who have managed to be free of depression throughout the first 5, 6 or more decades of their life can ride through most of life’s challenges without developing depression for the first time. It appears that the demands of the pandemic took a huge toll on many formerly mentally healthy older adults with asthma.”
For both those with and without a history of depression, researchers found an increased risk for depression among patients who reported feeling lonely 3 to 7 days a week (no history, OR = 4.33; 95% CI, 2.72-6.91; history of depression, OR = 2.28; 95% CI, 1.54-3.37), experienced verbal or physical conflict related to their family (no history, OR = 4.18; 95% CI, 2.47-7.07; history of depression, OR = 3.82; 95% CI, 2.36-6.18), and struggled to access health care during the pandemic (no history, OR = 1.55; 95% CI, 1.03-2.3; history of depression, OR = 1.71; 95% CI, 1.19-2.45).
Additionally, researchers found an increased risk for first-time depression among patients who struggled to access resources and/or experienced a loss of income (OR = 1.6; 95% CI, 1.03-2.5).
On the other hand, a greater risk for recurrent depression was observed among patients with functional limitations (OR = 2.58; 95% CI, 1.76-3.79) and those who reported participating in few or no religious activities (OR = 1.49; 95% CI, 1.02-2.19).
“In terms of future studies, we are exploring depression during the pandemic in other vulnerable health groups, including older adults with cancer, stroke and COPD,” Fuller-Thomson told Healio.
Reference:
- Older adults with asthma at high risk for depression during the COVID-19 pandemic. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/976963. Published Jan. 19, 2023. Accessed Jan. 19, 2023.
For more information:
Esme Fuller-Thomson, PhD, can be reached at esme.fuller.thomson@utoronto.ca.