COVID-19 post-vaccination depression in older Israeli adults: The role of negative world assumptions

Lee Greenblatt-Kimron, Yaakov Hoffman, Menachem Ben-Ezra, Robin Goodwin, Yuval Palgi

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Background With the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, the aging population has been shown to be highly vulnerable. As a result, policy makers and the media urged older adults to restrict social interactions, placing them at greater risk of mental health problems, such as depression. However, there has been a little previous attempt to examine coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) vaccine-related risk factors and depressive symptoms amongst older adults. Methods Participants (938 older adults, Mage = 68.99, s.d. = 3.41, range 65-85) answered an online questionnaire at the start of the COVID-19 vaccination program in Israel. Participants completed measures of background characteristics, world assumptions, COVID-19 vaccine-related variables, and symptoms of depression. Results Univariate logistic regression revealed that more negative world assumptions were linked with clinical depression levels. Conclusions Older adults in our sample were susceptible to unique factors associated with clinical depression influenced by their world assumptions during their COVID-19 vaccination. The high level of depression following vaccination indicates that it may take time to recover from depression associated with pandemic distress. Cognitive interventions that focus on world assumptions are recommended.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)45-48
Number of pages4
JournalGlobal Mental Health
Volume9
DOIs
StatePublished - 31 Jan 2022

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press.

Keywords

  • COVID-19 vaccine
  • depression
  • older adults
  • word assumptions

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Psychiatry and Mental health
  • Health Policy

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