Publication
'But we survived': older adults' strategies to cope with the lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic
| dc.contributor.author | Jarego, M. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Tasker, F. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Costa, P. A. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Pais-Ribeiro, J. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Ferreira-Valente, A. | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-03-12T17:04:32Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2024-03-12T17:04:32Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2023-10 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Background: Older adults are one of the most vulnerable groups to severe illness associated with the SARS-COV-2 virus. Therefore, it would be expected that the elderly would suffer great impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their mental health. However, it seems not to be the case, possibly due to contextual aspects and the strategies used by them to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Our study aimed at exploring the strategies older adults in Portugal deployed during the mandatory lockdowns in 2020 and 2021 to protect their mental health. Methods: A total of 22 older adults were interviewed and included in this study (36% women; age range between 66 and 92 years old). Qualitative data was collected through semi-structured interviews between Jan-Sept 2020 and analysed according to codebook thematic analysis. Results: Three main themes were identified. The first theme - ‘finding things to do and activities that can protect me’ - referred to behavioural coping strategies adopted to deal with the pandemic (e.g., preventing behaviours to avoid COVID-19 infection, social support). The second theme - ‘identifying how my thoughts can protect me’ - encompassed cognitive coping strategies, such as engaging in meaning-making processes to make sense out of the circumstances. Finally, the third theme - ‘counting myself lucky: me and my home advantages’ - included aspects perceived as beneficial to the wellbeing of participants during lockdowns (e.g., being healthy, living in a rural area). Conclusions: The thematic strategies identified by older adults to manage the pandemic and lockdown-related stresses could be linked to meaning-centred coping and could be further developed via existential therapy. | pt_PT |
| dc.description.version | info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion | pt_PT |
| dc.identifier.doi | 10.1093/eurpub/ckad160.1705 | pt_PT |
| dc.identifier.issn | 1101-1262 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10400.14/44249 | |
| dc.identifier.wos | 001092365302186 | |
| dc.language.iso | eng | pt_PT |
| dc.peerreviewed | yes | pt_PT |
| dc.rights.uri | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ | pt_PT |
| dc.title | 'But we survived': older adults' strategies to cope with the lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic | pt_PT |
| dc.type | journal article | |
| dspace.entity.type | Publication | |
| oaire.citation.issue | Supplement 2 | pt_PT |
| oaire.citation.title | European journal of public health | pt_PT |
| oaire.citation.volume | 33 | pt_PT |
| rcaap.rights | openAccess | pt_PT |
| rcaap.type | article | pt_PT |