Older people experience greater life satisfaction and a stronger sense of life’s worth after the COVID-19 pandemic than before, according to a study by University College London (UCL) researchers.
Research published in Aging and Mental Health studied 3,999 participants over the age of 50 in England for 11 years to investigate levels of positive well-being and depression.
The research findings determined that since the second half of 2020, eudemonic well-being – a measurement of whether life feels worthwhile – had risen significantly among those taking part in the study.
UCL epidemiology and health care professor and lead author of the research Paola Zaninotto said: “We believe that possibly people affected by death, illnesses and lots of restrictions, led people to develop a new appreciation for life after the pandemic.
“It’s more about seeing life from a different perspective after the pandemic.
“In terms of happiness, you may feel that your life satisfaction is higher, but that does not necessarily mean you feel happy all the time, but instead, you have that sense of appreciation.”
Along with eudemonic wellbeing, the study focused on affective wellbeing, which measures happiness, and evaluative wellbeing, which is a measurement of life satisfaction.
Professor Zaninotto said: “We looked at these distinct aspects of well-being because they all seem the same, but they’re not the same.”
In the second half of 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, all aspects of psychological well-being decreased, with a sense of life’s worth by 4%, life satisfaction by 7%, and happiness reducing by 4%.
The study showed that the overall rates of depression in older people rose from 11.4% before Covid-19 to 27.2% during the pandemic and remained at 14.9% after the pandemic.
The researchers believe the continued raised level might be caused by pressure faced by the health service, with people lacking access to help or choosing not to seek help.
Professor Zaninotto said: “As many would expect, wellbeing declined during the pandemic, and instances of depression rose.
“While depression is still slightly more prevalent than before 2020, remarkably, overall older people are now more satisfied, have a greater sense of life’s worth than before the pandemic, and their happiness levels went back to the same levels.”
Professor Zaninotto explained that wellbeing and physical health are interconnected, and this is something which should be recognised by policy-makers.
She added initiatives which encourage individuals to take part in art courses, yoga classes, and other community events, improve their psychological wellbeing.
Professor Zaninotto said: “Wellbeing is important at any age, but after the age of 50, it’s very important because we often see older age as a period of decay.
“There’s always been this negative narrative around being older, but it’s a new period of life in which usually you are free from big responsibilities.
“We tend to focus on negative aspects of health because it’s the first thing that is obvious that is happening to the body that health starts declining.
“However, if your wellbeing is not good, your mind is going to affect your body, and it’s also affecting very much the relationships that you have.
“Especially in older people, well-being is a driver for longevity, healthy living and as I said, social connections and social networks.”
The study also showed levels of depression were consistently higher in the least affluent socioeconomic groups.
However, the psychological wellbeing of wealthier populations was reduced more than that of the poorer participants during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Professor Zaninotto said: “You might expect that poor people were more affected.
“But what we thought that happened is that possibly could not do the things that they enjoyed the most such as going to the theater, socialising, going out for dinner during the pandemic, because they could no longer access them.
“Possibly, they were affected because all these activities were no longer available to them.”
The researchers will continue to monitor the wellbeing of all populations, especially those with depression, to understand the wide range of factors which cause it.
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