Perceived Covid-19 Susceptibility and Depressive Symptoms in Malaysian Adults: The Mediating Role of Loneliness
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Abstract
Introduction: Prior research on the impact of social isolation on the mental health of older adults during the Covid-19 pandemic has yielded contradictory results. This study explores the relationship between perceived Covid-19 susceptibility and depression by assessing whether loneliness mediates this relationship. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional analysis was done to compare mental health conditions between older adults (N=55, mean age=63.76±3.86) and the young-middle aged population (N=1884, mean age=29.55±8.10) during the pandemic. Regression analyses were employed to investigate the relationship between perceived Covid-19 susceptibility and depressive symptoms, and whether loneliness mediates these associations. To estimate the indirect and proportion of mediating effects, mediation analyses applying nonparametric bootstrapping techniques were conducted. Results: During the Malaysian outbreak, older adults (M = 36.56, SD = 3.75) reported higher perceived Covid-19 susceptibility than the young-middle aged population (M = 29.86, SD = 23.90, p = 0.41), albeit without a significant difference. Despite this, older adults (M = 9.45, SD = 5.86) had lower depressive symptoms than the young-middle aged population (M = 11.29, SD = 6.15, p = 0.03). Mediation analyses revealed that perceived Covid-19 susceptibility was significantly associated with loneliness, which was consequently related with depressive symptoms only in the young-middle aged population (β = 0.31, 95% CI = 0.20 - 0.44, p<.001). Conclusion: Therefore, older individuals may be more resilient when confronted with unique circumstances such as the pandemic. Nevertheless, given its significant association with more severe depressive symptoms, research focusing on the impact of loneliness warrants further investigation.
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