Social and Psychological Impact of Pandemic COVID-19 on Older Chinese Immigrants in Calgary

Background/Purpose: In early 2020, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic caught the world unguarded. Globally, older populations have been labelled as ‘vulnerable’ with greater risks in terms of infection and mortality (WHO, 2020). Older adults’ social vulnerability is compounded by the practice of self-isolation, which is promoted to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Older immigrants face greater challenges as a consequence of existing social marginalization and isolation due to language, cultural and financial barriers. In the case of Chinese older immigrants, this stress is magnified in the context of concerns within their countries of origin, where family and friends are also threatened and impacted by COVID-19. Also, as COVID-19 spreads, so does racism and xenophobia towards older Chinese immigrants. These factors could have profound impacts on their well-being. In response, this research aims to seeks to understand the experiences of Older Chinese Immigrants in Calgary, Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: After receiving ethics approval, 15 Chinese immigrants, aged 65 or older were recruited from faith-based organizations, online platforms, and senior centres using purposive sampling methods. In-depth semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted via phone or online platforms by two trained Mandarin or Cantonese-speaking interviewers with gerontological social work backgrounds. Questions focussed on the lived experiences of the Chinese older adults prior to and during the pandemic, with a focus on risk and resilience. Interviews were transcribed and translated into English and data were analyzed by Colaizzi’s (1978) method in a descriptive phenomenological approach.

Results: Preliminary findings reveled into five major themes:

• Older Chinese immigrants were willing to limit their social activities to a greater degree than required by authority to reduce potential harms for their family, friends, communities, and society.
• As immigrants, the older adults in the study had a cross-national perspective on COVID-19 first gleaned from witnessed the grief and threats for those in China and Hong Kong and secondly fueled by anxiety and worry about the ongoing pandemic in Canada.
• Participants also described the conflict they experienced between individualist culture in Canada and the collectivist culture in China/Hong Kong, manifested in their decision as to wear face masks, for example.
• Although participants commented favorably on Canada’s inclusion and diversity of immigrants, they acknowledged experiencing heightened discrimination, racism and ageism as a consequence of the pandemic.
• Participants demonstrated resilience in their positive attitude and their belief in their ability to overcome this adversity.

Conclusions and Implications: Findings of the study shed light on the experiences of older immigrants in the context of disasters and provides important insights into the strengths and resilience of this population. Recommendation are provided for front-line workers to reinforce resilience and enhance psycho-social supports for marginalized and socially isolated communities, such as Chinese older immigrants during or post-pandemic.