Level of adaptation and anxiety in older adults during confinement due to COVID-19 in Tepetitlán, Hidalgo

Abstract

Objective: To examine the relationship between the level of adaptation and anxiety during COVID-19 pandemic confinement in older adult residents of the municipality of Tepatitlan.

Methods: Cross-sectional descriptive study conducted from November 2021 to March 2022 in a non-probabilistic convenience sample of 170 adults aged 60 years and older. In accordance with the Helsinki declaration and the general health law on research, the approval of the Research Ethics Committee of the Autonomous University of the State of Hidalgo was obtained, as well as informed consent, from which a sociodemographic data form was applied. The Beck anxiety inventory was used to determine the level of anxiety of the participants. The active older adult coping instrument was used, which evaluates coping in relation to the following modes or dimensions: physiological, role function, interdependence and self-concept. Spearman’s correlation test was used to estimate the relationship between the variables of interest.

Results: The average age was 70 years (± 7.6 years). More than half of the participants were female (62.9%). A high and statistically significant correlation was observed between the level of adaptation and anxiety in older adults (rho=0.61; p-value=.000).

Conclusion: The results indicate that the level of adaptation of older adults during COVID-19 confinement is probably related to their level of anxiety.