Perceived stress before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, perceived stress has increased significantly among older adults. This increase will likely negatively affect both physical and psychological wellbeing among this population. Older adults who live in shared households experienced the greatest increase in stress. At this early stage, we suspect that this may be driven by fear of contracting the COVID-19 virus from other household members who may not be confined to home. This may also manifest itself in a perceived lack of control of ones’ own environment and wellbeing. Alternatively, levels of stress may have increased among this group due to the pressures of being confined with others in a situation where usual activities and behaviours have been changed dramatically. Combining the rich existing TILDA data source with new data collected during the pandemic will enable us to investigate the reasons behind the results reported here.