Over-80s cope best during lockdown thanks to resilient sense of wellbeing

DURING the first lockdown, the wellbeing of those aged over 80 was “significantly” less affected than any other age group.

Researchers found that money worries made people more unhappy than loneliness during lockdown.

The wellbeing of single women suffered less than those who live with a partner – but the reverse was true for men.

Researchers also said that the reason older people have coped better with lockdown may be because they are “more capable of appreciating positive experiences.”

The team analysed survey data from more than 7,000 adults in the UK taken in 2019 and again during the first coronavirus lockdown last year.

Participants were asked to rate their sense of wellbeing on a score between one and 36, and the researchers then adjusted the data to study people of similar backgrounds to isolate the effects of ethnicity, age, family and financial situation.

When comparing the rating in 2019 with those last April, early in the first lockdown, wellbeing had fallen more than average among those aged 20 to 39, women and people with financial difficulties, while people from ethnic minorities and those with close friends and partners showed no significant difference from the average.

However, when comparing their wellbeing last July, more than three months into lockdown, with April 2020 the situation had changed.

Those who said their financial situation was “quite difficult” or “very difficult” saw a fall in wellbeing of 27 per cent compared to those who did not report any financial difficulty, who saw a fall of just 1%.

Study co-author Dr Amy Andrada, of the University of Edinburgh, said: “This was a much stronger effect than in April and caused a larger drop in well-being than any other factor, such as not living with a partner or having close friends.

“Those aged 80 and over had a smaller fall in well-being than any other age group – only 4%, compared to 10% for under 20s.

“The well-being of men with partners fell by 3.5%, compared to 7.5% for those without. The situation was reversed for women – those not living with a partner saw a fall of 3.7%, but those with had a fall of 5.5%. Being a woman or people belonging to an ethnic minority did not have any significant effect on well-being.”

She added: “During the pandemic, the quality of close relationships may be a determining factor for well-being. Parents with older children started to do better as the crisis entered mid-term and men benefit from living with a partner significantly.

“However, no effect was found among women with different living arrangements.”

Researchers analysed data taken in the UK Household Longitudinal Survey.

Dr Andrada presented the findings to the British Sociological Association’s online annual conference.