Depression, Anxiety, Resilience, and Family Functioning Among Different Age Groups During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A One-Year Longitudinal Study.

Background/

Objectives

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly disrupted mental health globally, affecting individuals across all age groups. Understanding its long-term impact is crucial for identifying age-specific vulnerabilities and informing targeted mental health interventions. This longitudinal study aimed to investigate the within-person changes in mental health across different age groups in Greece from the first to the third pandemic wave of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) (i.e., one year later) during nationwide lockdowns. It further compared the mental health outcomes of three distinct age groups, stratified based on their vulnerability to COVID-19-younger adults (18-29 years), adults (30-59 years), and older adults (60-84 years)-and examined correlates of depression and anxiety during the third pandemic wave.

Methods

A total of 720 participants-92 younger adults, 543 adults, and 85 older adults-completed the same set of questionnaires during the first (April-May 2020) and third (March-May 2021) pandemic-related lockdowns. At both time points, participants provided data on the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2, Patient Health Questionnaire-2, Systemic Clinical Outcome and Routine Evaluation-15, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale-2, and demographic information.

Results

Results indicated a within-individual increase in depression and a decrease in resilience for all participants, irrespective of age. Anxiety increased only among younger adults and adults, whereas family functioning remained stable across all age groups one year post-pandemic onset. Furthermore, younger adults reported higher levels of depression and anxiety, lower resilience, and more impaired family functioning compared to the older age groups in both lockdowns. Among the different age groups, factors independently associated with depression and anxiety were identified through stepwise regression analyses.

Conclusions

The present study provides evidence for mental health deterioration during the pandemic across all age groups, with younger adults exhibiting heightened vulnerability.