OLDER ADULTS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: ROLE OF HEALTH CONDITIONS IN RESILIENCY AND PERCEIVED STRESS

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated protracted lockdowns, exacerbating the challenges associated with social isolation. Older adults, who often suffer from social isolation, may have a harder time coping with the added isolation imposed by COVID-19. In this study, we investigated the resiliency and coping skills of older adults amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, and whether they were associated with different co-morbidities. We conducted a 45-minute telephone survey of 107 participants to assess their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were recruited from existing Johns Hopkins studies. The survey included the Brief Resilient Coping Scale, the Perceived Stress Scale, and questions about current health conditions (arthritis, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, heart disease, and depression/anxiety) and whether these conditions worsened, improved, or remained unchanged since the beginning of the pandemic. We regressed scores for resiliency and coping scores on a series of indicators of whether co-morbidities had worsened during the pandemic. On average, participants were 76 years old and 63% were female. There was no association between resiliency scores and any of the co-morbidities (r2=2.8%). With respect to perceived stress, participants who reported their depression/anxiety worsened during the pandemic also reported greater levels of perceived stress (B=0.83, 95% confidence interval: 0.30, 1.36). We were surprised that additional co-morbidities did not affect resiliency or stress. In order to better serve geriatric populations, health professionals should closely monitor those patients who have depression and anxiety during times of social distancing, epidemics, or pandemics.

as well as that of their loved ones and communities. The current study examined how older adults' social context shaped their well-being (i.e., anxiety, depressive symptoms, and sleep quality) early in the pandemic. Specifically, we tested whether there were differences in uncertainty, communal coping, and well-being among partnered individuals who indicated that their partner was their primary source of emotional support during the pandemic versus un-partnered individuals who indicated another social tie as their primary source of emotional support. Data were collected between May and August 2020 from 101 older adults (Mage = 80.63, SD = 8.96). Correlational analyses showed that uncertainty about one's own health/well-being was positively associated with anxiety (p < .05) and communal coping (i.e., viewing the pandemic as a stressful period that will be worked through together) was negatively associated with depressive symptoms (p = .001) and anxiety (p < .01). Results from independent samples t-tests showed that, on average, partnered older adults reported fewer depressive symptoms (p < .05), less uncertainty about their own health/well-being (p < .05), and higher communal coping (p < .001) compared to un-partnered older adults. Unexpectedly, no group differences were found for anxiety or sleep quality. Results suggest the unique benefit of having a partner as an emotional support confidant in the context of the pandemic, perhaps because older adults were largely confined to their homes during lockdown. Media affects the trajectory of many individuals' mental health. With the rise of COVID-19 cases, the media not only provides informative updates on the pandemic, it also fuels the hysteria and paranoia of citizens across the world. Studies show that older adults (OA) who consume media frequently were at a higher risk for declining mental health (Negarestani et al., 2021) and that individuals experience negative bias more than positive bias (Vaish et al., 2013). However, no studies have directly investigated how much positive and negative COVID-19 news affect OA's mental health and emotions. Sixty-nine OA (aged 55-95) answered questions about their weekly media consumption, how closely they followed COVID-19 news, and the General Health Questionnaire. They were then randomly assigned to read either positive or negative COVID-19 news (n=35 and 34 respectively), and asked if the news made them feel happy/ fearful and if they wanted to read more about/ignore the news. Analysis revealed that the more OA consumed media and closely followed COVID-19 news, the more they felt unhappy and depressed, rs>.25, ps<.05. There was a significant condition effect, where OA who read positive news reported more positive emotions than those who read negative news, t(67)=5.21, p<.001. Chance analyses revealed that positive news evoked positive emotions significantly above chance, t(34)=8.99, p<.001, but negative news evoked negative emotions only marginally above chance, t(33)=1.92, p=.064. These findings suggest that media consumption of COVID-19 news does negatively impact OA's mental wellbeing, and OA appear to have a strong positivity bias for COVID-19 news.

OLDER ADULTS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: ROLE OF HEALTH CONDITIONS IN RESILIENCY AND PERCEIVED STRESS Allyson Sloan, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated protracted lockdowns, exacerbating the challenges associated with social isolation. Older adults, who often suffer from social isolation, may have a harder time coping with the added isolation imposed by COVID-19. In this study, we investigated the resiliency and coping skills of older adults amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, and whether they were associated with different co-morbidities. We conducted a 45-minute telephone survey of 107 participants to assess their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were recruited from existing Johns Hopkins studies. The survey included the Brief Resilient Coping Scale, the Perceived Stress Scale, and questions about current health conditions (arthritis, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, heart disease, and depression/anxiety) and whether these conditions worsened, improved, or remained unchanged since the beginning of the pandemic. We regressed scores for resiliency and coping scores on a series of indicators of whether co-morbidities had worsened during the pandemic. On average, participants were 76 years old and 63% were female. There was no association between resiliency scores and any of the co-morbidities (r2=2.8%). With respect to perceived stress, participants who reported their depression/anxiety worsened during the pandemic also reported greater levels of perceived stress (B=0.83, 95% confidence interval: 0.30, 1.36). We were surprised that additional co-morbidities did not affect resiliency or stress. In order to better serve geriatric populations, health professionals should closely monitor those patients who have depression and anxiety during times of social distancing, epidemics, or pandemics.

OLDER AGE IS (STILL) ASSOCIATED WITH MENTAL HEALTH BENEFITS IN JUNE-JULY 2021 OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Amanda Chappell 1 , Kelly Smith 2 , and JoNell Strough 2 ,

West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, United States, 2. WVU, Morgantown, West Virginia, United States
In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, older age was associated with less anxiety and depression (Bruin de Bruin, 2021). Similar results were found for data collected during the June-July 2020 spike in cases (Smith et al., 2021). Theorists have suggested that benefits of age for well-being may be reduced when stressors are prolonged and unavoidable (Charles, 2010). Here, we investigated whether older age continued to be protective in June-July 2021, when vaccines had become widely available, but the pandemic persisted. Secondary data analysis was conducted from the Understanding America Study, based on n=5,535 (M=52.69 yrs., SD=16.04) participants who responded to online self-report surveys. Participants reported symptoms of anxiety and depression (assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire, PHQ-4), engagement in protective behaviors (e.g., wearing a mask), and coping strategies (e.g., getting extra exercise). Multiple regression analyses predicted anxiety and depression from age, coping strategies, and protective behaviors, controlling for marital status, gender, and income. Coping through exercise and calling family/friends were significantly associated with less anxiety and depression, whereas coping by using social media and engaging in protective behaviors was significantly associated with more anxiety and depression. The harmful effects of protective behaviors may reflect the people engaging in these strategies most often are also those most worried about COVID-19. Even after accounting for coping strategies and protective behaviors, older age was still associated with fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression. Implications of older adults' resilience in the face of a prolonged stressor for promoting mental health are discussed.

"ADAPTING TO A NEW REALITY": OLDER ADULTS' EXPERIENCES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Jodie Oshana 1 , Mariana Guzzardo 2 , and Irina Todorova 3 , 1. University of Connecticut,Storrs,Connecticut,United States,2. California State University,Hayward,California,United States,3. Northeastern University,Boston,Massachusetts,United States Older adults were uniquely affected during the COVID-19 pandemic, given that they were most at risk of serious complications and death if infected. Numerous preventative measures were abruptly mandated, including stay at home orders and social distancing that led to social isolation. Given this context, the aim of this qualitative study is to explore the lived experiences, perceived challenges, and mechanisms for resilience of older adults during the first wave of the pandemic. Our sample (n=50), derived from a larger international study with data from 15 countries, includes individuals 60 or older in Puerto Rico and mainland United States. Following thematic analysis of responses from an online survey, three themes were identified: resilience through reflection and adaptation, resilience through critique of systemic problems and injustices, and resilience through reaffirmation of values. Findings support various recommendations for improving support to older adults in future crises.

ARE OLDER ADULTS ABLE TO DRAW UPON PRIOR EXPERIENCES WHEN COPING WITH THE NOVEL COVID-19 STRESSOR?
Maria Kurth, Heidi Igarashi, Hye Soo Lee, Soyoung Choun, and Carolyn Aldwin, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, United States Despite higher physiological vulnerability to stress, older adults may accumulate resources through prior experiences that can promote resilience (Aldwin & Igarashi, 2016). During the COVID-19 pandemic, older adults drew on prior experiences and resources to cope (McKinlay et al., 2021;Herron et al., 2021), although these events were typically not specified. Some found vulnerability due to prior trauma (Galica et al., 2021). We examined whether older adults drew upon specific experiences or more general resilience resources in coping with this novel stressor. Data were collected using an online survey from April 28-May 4, 2020 from 235 older adults in Oregon (Mage = 71.35, SD = 7.39; 74% female; 92% White). We examined open-ended responses from a question that asked whether prior experiences influenced how they were dealing with the COVID-19 situation. Nearly 2/3 provided valid responses (n=144). After inductive open coding, preliminary consolidation resulted in three broad categories: past experiences (74%), resources (19%), and both (8%). The most common prior experiences were illness (n = 20) and work (n = 19). Some (n=10) reported specific coping strategies learned during prior stressful experiences. Resources include personal characteristics (e.g., being "introverted" or "resilient"), financial ("financially secure") and social resources ("loving spouse"). Five reported experiences that made COVID-19 more difficult ("PTSD/anxiety prior to COVID-19 makes this even worse"). Although 1/3 of the sample could not draw upon a prior experience in coping with this novel stressor, many older participants could utilize their lived experience when coping with problems during the COVID-19 pandemic.