INS NYC 2024 Program

Poster	Poster Session 11 Program Schedule 02/17/2024 10:45 am - 12:00 pm Room: Majestic Complex (Posters 61-120) Poster Session 11: Cultural Neuropsychology \| Education/Training \| Professional Practice Issues Final Abstract #109 The Impact of Covid-19 on Chinese American Older Adults on Health Behavior and Psychological Outcomes Gelan Ying, University of Florida, Gainesville, United States Jessica Spat-Lemus, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States Xiaoyi Zeng, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States Tianxu Xia, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States Judith Neugroschl, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States Clara Li, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States Category: Cross Cultural Neuropsychology/ Clinical Cultural Neuroscience Keyword 1: aging (normal) Keyword 2: cross-cultural issues Keyword 3: diversity Objective: The Covid-19 pandemic has had a long-term and profound influence on every aspect of life on both a societal and individual level worldwide, especially for vulnerable populations, such as older adults. More specifically, the extant literature has described the negative impact of social isolation and loneliness during the public health crisis on the neurocognitive, emotional, and overall health of older adults, irrespective of cognitive status (Tsapanou et al., 2021; Prommas et al., 2023). However, the generalizability of these findings to Chinese American older adults, an underrepresented minority group who experienced elevated levels of discrimination and associated social isolation during Covid-19, is not well understood. Thus, this study aimed to investigate health behavior and psychological outcomes during the early stages of the pandemic in Chinese American older adults using a culturally and linguistically adapted questionnaire. Findings can serve to identify potential areas of health and psychological outcomes that would benefit from future interventions that are directed at reducing the effects of social isolation and loneliness on cognitive and emotional functioning. Participants and Methods: Our study sample comprised of 62 non-demented participants recruited from the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at Mount Sinai. Inclusion criteria were 1) > 65-year-old, 2) speaking primarily Mandarin/Cantonese, 3) self-identified as Chinese, 4) scored 0 (normal cognition, NC) or 0.5 (mild cognitive impairment, MCI) on the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR). All participants completed a 33-item Covid questionnaire of health behaviors and psychological symptoms in Mandarin or Cantonese via telehealth or in-person study visits during 2020 to 2021. Age groups (older vs. younger) were identified through the median age (72 years old). We employed the Pearson chi-square correlation analyses to test differences between groups. Results: Overall, over 95% of the participants reported avoiding social gathering and practicing social distancing. More than 80% of Chinese American older adults shared some changes in their health behaviors and disruptions in their daily life. Psychologically, most denied anxiety or depressive symptoms with 63.1% shared worries about their family members. Around 44% noted certain levels of social isolation and 29% reported loneliness. Importantly, 40% of Chinese American older adults expressed worry about stigma or discrimination regarding Covid-19. Pearson chi-square correlation analyses demonstrated comparable psychological symptoms and social engagement among the two age groups. However, the older participants (n=36) reported significantly more disruptions of their daily life compared to their younger counterparts (n=29) (p=.03). Regarding health behaviors, the older group reported marginally elevated avoidance of handshaking or physical interaction with people (p=.04). Conclusions: The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of focusing on the adverse impacts on emotional and overall health of underrepresented minority older adults. Our pilot study demonstrated that older Chinese Americans experienced substantial change in their daily life and social patterns that increased with age, that might have been exacerbated by increased stigma and perceived discrimination. Future studies should be conducted to develop targeted strategies aimed at reducing maladaptive health behavior and psychological outcomes that have the potential to further negatively impact cognitive, emotional, and functional wellbeing in this understudied population.

Poster

02/17/2024
10:45 am - 12:00 pm
Room: Majestic Complex (Posters 61-120)

Poster Session 11: Cultural Neuropsychology | Education/Training | Professional Practice Issues

Final Abstract #109

The Impact of Covid-19 on Chinese American Older Adults on Health Behavior and Psychological Outcomes

Gelan Ying, University of Florida, Gainesville, United States
Jessica Spat-Lemus, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States
Xiaoyi Zeng, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States
Tianxu Xia, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States
Judith Neugroschl, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States
Clara Li, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States

Category: Cross Cultural Neuropsychology/ Clinical Cultural Neuroscience

Keyword 1: aging (normal)
Keyword 2: cross-cultural issues
Keyword 3: diversity

Objective:

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a long-term and profound influence on every aspect of life on both a societal and individual level worldwide, especially for vulnerable populations, such as older adults. More specifically, the extant literature has described the negative impact of social isolation and loneliness during the public health crisis on the neurocognitive, emotional, and overall health of older adults, irrespective of cognitive status (Tsapanou et al., 2021; Prommas et al., 2023). However, the generalizability of these findings to Chinese American older adults, an underrepresented minority group who experienced elevated levels of discrimination and associated social isolation during Covid-19, is not well understood. Thus, this study aimed to investigate health behavior and psychological outcomes during the early stages of the pandemic in Chinese American older adults using a culturally and linguistically adapted questionnaire. Findings can serve to identify potential areas of health and psychological outcomes that would benefit from future interventions that are directed at reducing the effects of social isolation and loneliness on cognitive and emotional functioning.

Participants and Methods:

Our study sample comprised of 62 non-demented participants recruited from the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at Mount Sinai. Inclusion criteria were 1) > 65-year-old, 2) speaking primarily Mandarin/Cantonese, 3) self-identified as Chinese, 4) scored 0 (normal cognition, NC) or 0.5 (mild cognitive impairment, MCI) on the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR). All participants completed a 33-item Covid questionnaire of health behaviors and psychological symptoms in Mandarin or Cantonese via telehealth or in-person study visits during 2020 to 2021. Age groups (older vs. younger) were identified through the median age (72 years old). We employed the Pearson chi-square correlation analyses to test differences between groups.

Results:

Overall, over 95% of the participants reported avoiding social gathering and practicing social distancing. More than 80% of Chinese American older adults shared some changes in their health behaviors and disruptions in their daily life. Psychologically, most denied anxiety or depressive symptoms with 63.1% shared worries about their family members. Around 44% noted certain levels of social isolation and 29% reported loneliness. Importantly, 40% of Chinese American older adults expressed worry about stigma or discrimination regarding Covid-19. Pearson chi-square correlation analyses demonstrated comparable psychological symptoms and social engagement among the two age groups. However, the older participants (n=36) reported significantly more disruptions of their daily life compared to their younger counterparts (n=29) (p=.03). Regarding health behaviors, the older group reported marginally elevated avoidance of handshaking or physical interaction with people (p=.04).

Conclusions:

The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of focusing on the adverse impacts on emotional and overall health of underrepresented minority older adults. Our pilot study demonstrated that older Chinese Americans experienced substantial change in their daily life and social patterns that increased with age, that might have been exacerbated by increased stigma and perceived discrimination. Future studies should be conducted to develop targeted strategies aimed at reducing maladaptive health behavior and psychological outcomes that have the potential to further negatively impact cognitive, emotional, and functional wellbeing in this understudied population.