ELSA researchers have found that people aged 50 and over in England report greater life satisfaction and a stronger sense of life's worth compared to pre-Covid times, although depression remains more prevalent.
Prof. Paola Zaninotto, the study's lead author, noted that while positive wellbeing and mental health deteriorated between the early and later stages of the pandemic in 2020, the situation has since improved.
"It is encouraging to see that positive wellbeing has returned to normal or even better than normal levels," Prof Zaninotto stated. However, she emphasised that the higher levels of depression among older adults indicate a need for additional support.
Published in the journal Aging & Mental Health, the study analysed ELSA data collected before the pandemic, in mid and late 2020, and from late 2021 onwards to assess the psychological impact of the crisis.
The findings, based on responses from approximately 4,000 ELSA participants, revealed that happiness, life satisfaction, and the sense of life's worth all declined at the pandemic's onset, with a further drop in late 2020. However, these levels rebounded in subsequent surveys, with average scores for life satisfaction and life's worth exceeding pre-pandemic levels.
Conversely, the estimated proportion of ELSA participants experiencing depression rose from 11.4% to 19.3% in the early stages of the pandemic, peaking at 27.2% in late 2020. Although the prevalence of depression decreased in later surveys, it remained above pre-pandemic levels at 14.9%.
The study also found that rebounds in positive wellbeing and depression were less pronounced among those aged 75 and over. Measures of positive wellbeing were consistently lower for participants aged 50–59 compared to older groups, with this age group experiencing the greatest increase in depression during the pandemic's peak. Prof. Zaninotto attributed this to midlife stressors such as financial responsibilities and work and caregiving pressures.
The prevalence of depression was consistently higher, and positive wellbeing consistently lower, among the poorest participants throughout all survey waves. However, declines in positive wellbeing during the pandemic's peak were most significant for medium- and high-wealth groups, which also showed a greater rebound in later surveys. Zaninotto speculated that this might be due to the disruption of activities that brought satisfaction or happiness to more affluent individuals.
Published in the journal Aging & Mental Health
Featured in The Guardian, Sky News, Independent, New Scientist, MSN, Women's Health
Image courtesy of the Centre for Ageing Better
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