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COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted older adults and Black individuals. Research has focused on physical outcomes, with less attention to the psychological effects of COVID-19. The objective of this study is to examine the interplay between race and perceived COVID-19 day-to-day threat on psychological distress among older adults and to assess whether these associations vary between older men and women.
Research Design and Methods
Analyses were conducted on a subsample of self-identified non-Latino Whites and Blacks aged 50+ (N=3,834) from the American Trends Panel. Psychological distress was assessed with five items adapted from the CES-D and GAD. Perceived COVID-19 day-to-day threat was assessed with a single question. Negative binomial regressions tested the study aim.
Results
Those who reported that COVID-19 was a major threat or minor threat to day-to-day life reported more psychological distress than those who reported that COVID-19 was not a threat to day-to-day life. Whites reported more psychological distress than non-Latino Black individuals. There was a significant interaction effect between the perception of day-to-day COVID-19 threat and psychological distress. For the total sample, those who indicated that COVID-19 was a major threat to day-to-day life had higher levels of psychological distress than those who indicated that COVID-19 was not a threat to day-to-day life. However, among Black respondents, for those who reported that COVID-19 was a major threat to day-to-day life there was a marginal increase in psychological distress compared to respondents who reported that COVID-19 was not a threat to day-to-day life. Among white respondents, for those who reported that COVID-19 was a major threat to day-to-day life there was a substantial increase in psychological distress compared to respondents who reported that COVID-19 was not a threat to day-to-day life. The gender stratified analysis indicated that the moderating effects of race were present among men but not among women. For white men, as their perceptions of COVID-19 day-to-day threat increased in severity, so did their levels of psychological distress. In contrast, for Black men, as their perceptions of COVID-19 day-to-day threat increased in severity, their levels of psychological distress either marginally decreased or remained similar to that of Black men who reported that COVID-19 was not a threat to day-to-day life.
Discussion
These results suggest that resilience may play a role in the relationship between perceptions of day-to-day COVID-19 threat and distress among older individuals, particularly among Black men. These findings warrant consideration of how older Black individuals appraise pandemic-related stressors and distress. Among white men levels of psychological distress were generally higher compared to Black men regardless of perception of day-to-day COVID-19 threat. Future work should consider the mental health consequences of pandemic-related stress appraisals among older adult men. Social workers can aid in practice and policy development, while addressing the long term social and psychological impacts of COVID-19.