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Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0, Open Access
Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0, Open
Journal article
Long COVID and psychosocial factors among middle-aged and older adults. Results of the nationally representative German Ageing Survey
Aging clinical and experimental research, Vol.37(1), pp.1-9
05/11/2025
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Abstract
Background: In addition to the physical symptoms, long COVID can cause considerable psychological burden.
Aims: To investigate the association of long COVID with depressive symptoms, loneliness, perceived social isolation and
life satisfaction (also stratified by sex).
Methods: Data from the most recent eighth wave of the nationally representative German Ageing Survey was used, encompassing community-dwelling individuals 43 years to 90 years, n=4,017 individuals in the analytic sample). Psychometrically sound tools were used to quantify the outcomes. Physician-diagnosed long COVID was used as independent variable.
Adjusted (weighted) linear regressions with cluster-robust standard errors were used. Robustness checks were conducted.
Results: Regressions adjusted for sociodemographic and lifestyle-related covariates showed that individuals with long
COVID had consistently worse psychosocial outcomes compared to individuals without long COVID. However, after additionally adjusting for health-related covariates, only the association between long COVID and perceived social isolation
remained significant (β=0.29, p<0.001). Stratified by sex, long COVID was significantly associated with higher social
isolation scores among women (β=0.37, p<0.001), but not among men in the fully adjusted models.
Discussion: Even after adjusting for a wide array of covariates, findings suggest that (female) individuals with long COVID
have stronger feelings of not belonging to the society (compared to individuals without long COVID).
Conclusions: It may be beneficial to find ways to help such individuals feel included in society.
Details
- Title
- Long COVID and psychosocial factors among middle-aged and older adults. Results of the nationally representative German Ageing Survey
- Creators
- André Hajek - University Medical Center Hamburg-EppendorfChristine Blome - University Medical Center Hamburg-EppendorfDong Keon Yon - Kyung Hee University College of Medicine (South Korea, Seoul)Pinar Soysal - Bezmialem Vakif University (Turkey, Istanbul)Razak M Gyasi - African Population and Health Research CenterKarl Peltzer - Mahidol UniversitySupa Pengpid - Mahidol UniversityHans-Helmut König - University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf
- Publication Details
- Aging clinical and experimental research, Vol.37(1), pp.1-9
- Publisher
- Springer Nature
- Grant note
- Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL. We acknowledge financial support from the Open Access Publication Fund of UKE - Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf.
- Identifiers
- 991013326924102368
- Copyright
- © The Author(s) 2025
- Academic Unit
- National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article