Abstract: COVID-19 and Psychological Distress: Gender and Racial Differences Among Older Adults (Society for Social Work and Research 26th Annual Conference - Social Work Science for Racial, Social, and Political Justice)

239P COVID-19 and Psychological Distress: Gender and Racial Differences Among Older Adults

Schedule:
Friday, January 14, 2022
Marquis BR Salon 6, ML 2 (Marriott Marquis Washington, DC)
* noted as presenting author
Tyrone Hamler, MSW, Doctoral Candidate, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH
Ann Nguyen, PhD, Assistant Professor, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH
Ryon Cobb, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Georgia, Athens
Dawne Mouzon, PhD, Associate Professor, Rutgers University, NJ
Harry Taylor, Postdoctoral Scholar, Duke University, NC
Weidi Qin, MSW/MPH, Doctoral Student, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH
Background and Objectives

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.