The anxiety and loneliness levels of geriatric population in-home quarantine during COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey
coronavirus, Anxiety, quarantine, loneliness, geriatrics
Objective: Mortality rates of COVID-19 are higheramong the elderly. Curfews have been imposed on individuals aged 65 and older to reduce contact with otherpeople. We aimed to determine anxiety and lonelinesslevels and associated factors of individuals aged 65 andover in-home quarantine. Method: We determinedsociodemographic, clinical features, information statuson COVID-19 pandemic, geriatric anxiety scale and loneliness scale for the elderly values of 290 individuals (65-90 years old) in Turkey. Results: The mean age was71.2±5.9 years, and 54.8% were male(n: 159). 87.6%followed COVID-19 process, and 88.3% received theinformation from the television. 14.1% reported significant worries about the individuals in their family, 14.1%about their social life, and 19.7% about their economicsituation. A statistically significant relationship wasobserved between the geriatric anxiety and the loneliness scale(r: 0.498, p: 0.001). Anxiety scores wereincreased 1.29 fold by loneliness scores, 3.56 fold byhaving a chronic disease and 3.26 fold by the history ofa psychiatric disorder. Discussion: We suggest that quarantine increases anxiety and loneliness levels in geriatricpopulation with a positive correlation between anxietyand loneliness levels. Having a chronic disease andHistory of a psychiatric disorder was also associated withanxiety levels. The majority of concerns is about theirfamily members, future social and economic lives. It hasbeen observed that television has become an essentialsource of information in the pandemic for the geriatricpopulation. Authorities should meet the psychosocioeconomic needs of elderly individuals, and correct information should be provided.
Oğuzhan Kılınçel, Gürkan Muratdağı, Abdülkadir Aydın, Ahmet Öksüz, Yıldız Büyükdereli Atadağ, Erkut Etçioğlu, Feride Özen