Living Alone and Depressive Symptoms among Older Adults in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Role of Non-Face-to-Face Social Interactions

Abstract

Objective: This study examined the association of living alone with changes in depressive symptom status and the moderating effect of non-face-to-face social interactions among older adults during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

Design: A longitudinal study.

Setting and participants: This study recruited individuals aged ≥ 65 years without long-term care in one semi-urban city in Japan, who completed mailed questionnaires in March (baseline) and October 2020 (follow-up).

Methods: Based on depressive symptoms assessed by the Two-Question Screening at baseline and follow-up, participants were classified as: "non-case," "onset," "remission," and "persistence." Non-face-to-face social interactions during the pandemic, including phone calls or emails with separated families or friends, were dichotomized as "less than weekly interactions" and "weekly interactions." A multinomial logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine the association of living arrangement (living alone or together) with changes in depressive symptoms status.

Results: Data of 1001 participants were analyzed (mean age = 79.9 years). Of them, 13.8% lived alone. Overall, 40.6% participants were grouped as "non-case," 11.7% as "onset," 11.0% as "remission," and 27.1% as "persistence." Living alone was significantly associated with depressive symptom onset (odds ratio: 1.92; 95% CI: 1.03-3.56; P = .039), and a negative interaction (protective effect) was found between living alone and weekly non-face-to-face social interactions for depressive symptom onset.

Conclusion and implications: During the pandemic, older adults living alone had a higher depressive symptom risk, but non-face-to-face social interactions may have buffered this risk. Our findings suggest the importance of supporting older adults living alone in times of social restrictions such as the pandemic, and furthermore, maintaining social connections, including non-face-to-face relationships, is necessary to protect their mental health.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; depressive symptoms; living alone; non–face-to-face interactions; social interactions.