Distancing Adherence and Negative Emotions among the Israeli Elderly Population during the COVID-19 Pandemic

• Main Authors: Shiran Bord, Ayelet Schor, Carmit Satran, Ola Ali Saleh, Liron Inchi, Dafna Halperin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-08-01
• Series: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Subjects: COVID-19; distancing adherence; older people; trust in healthcare system; social support; negative emotion
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/16/8770

Social distancing was found to prevent COVID-19 contagion. Therefore, understanding the factors associated with the public’s adherence is important. Acknowledging the importance of emotional wellbeing regarding older people’s health, and understanding their emotional state during the pandemic, are crucial. This study assessed factors associated with older people’s adherence to social distancing and their emotional status. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among 1822 respondents above the age of 60. Distancing adherence, negative emotion, trust, social support, threat perception, attitudes, and subjective norms were assessed, and a path analysis was performed. Adherence was positively associated with attitudes (β = 0.10; <i>p</i> < 0.001), and with subjective norms (β = 0.19; <i>p</i> < 0.001). Negative emotions were positively associated with threat perception (β = 0.33; <i>p</i> < 0.001), and negatively associated with social support (β = −0.13; <i>p</i> < 0.001) and subjective norms (β = −0.10; <i>p</i> < 0.001). Attitudes mediated the relationship of threat perception (95% CI = 0.009, 0.034), trust (95% CI = 0.008, 0.029), and social support (95% CI = 0.006, 0.023) with distancing adherence. Subjective norms mediated the relationship between threat perception (95% CI = 0.014, 0.034), trust (95% CI = 0.026, 0.055), and social support (95% CI = 0.002, 0.048) with distancing adherence. Subjective norms mediated the relationship between threat perception (95% CI = −0.022, −0.006), trust (95% CI = −0.034, −0.010), and social support (95% CI = −0.029, −0.009) with negative emotions. When promoting social distancing adherence, subjective norms and attitudes must be considered, as they play a role in promoting adherence and negative-emotion regulation.