Physical isolation and mental health among older US adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: longitudinal findings from the COVID-19 Coping Study

Physical isolation for 7 days in the past week was associated with elevated depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and loneliness in older adults.

• Increased physical isolation correlated with higher levels of depressive symptoms at baseline.
• A similar pattern was observed for anxiety symptoms, which also rose with more days of isolation.
• Loneliness symptoms were found to increase in association with the frequency of physical isolation.
• Despite these associations at baseline, physical isolation did not significantly affect the rate of change in mental health symptoms over time.
• The findings suggest that the mental health impacts of physical isolation may continue after the initial period of isolation.

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