대한노인정신의학회

Objective: To investigate perceptions of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) associated with anxiety caused by the COVID-19
epidemic in the elderly who are vulnerable to mental health problems.
Methods: This study used data of a survey on perceptions of COVID-19 and changes in mental health of 1,000 out of residents
in a province of Korea in April 2020. The survey included questions about psychological perceptions for COVID-19. Subjects were
dived into two groups (<60 and ≥60). Binary logistic regression analyses were performed for evaluating the association between anxiety and perceptions about COVID-19 in each group.
Results: Results of binary logistic regression analyses revealed that only ‘fear of getting infected myself’among perceptions for
COVID-19 was associated with anxiety in the elderly aged more than 60 years. However, in adults aged less than 60 years, all perceptions for COVID-19 except impairment of performance were associated with such anxiety.
Conclusion: We found that the anxiety for COVID-19 in elderly with age over 60 years was associated with ‘fear of getting infected myself’ rather than ‘fear of family or people around them’, unlike adults aged less than 60 years. These results can be applied
in strategies for psychological quarantine against COVID-19 among the elderly.

Coronavirus disease-19, Perception, Anxiety, Elderly