Older people who "shielded" during the Covid-19 pandemic were nearly twice as likely to experience symptoms of depression compared with those who did not shield, even after accounting for loneliness and having fewer social contacts, a study has found.
The report, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, shows that staying at home throughout the pandemic, as well as shielding, were strongly associated with greater risks of depressive symptoms, anxiety, and lower quality of life.
Shielding is when a person took extra precautions to protect themselves against infection, such as avoiding crowds and staying at home as much as possible.
“When restrictions came into place in March 2020, around 3.8 million (6 per cent) people in the UK were ordered to shield, 74 per cent of whom were aged over 50. Our study is the first of its kind to look at the effect shielding had on the mental well-being of older people in England,” said lead author Dr Giorgio Di Gessa from University College London's institute of epidemiology and health care.
“We know from previous studies that the pandemic and policies restricting human interaction have posed a greater risk to mental health and well-being, especially among specific people in socioeconomic adversity, those with pre-existing poorer health, and those feeling lonely.
“In our study we therefore took all these factors into account to understand if shielding and staying at home were additional factors contributing to poorer mental health among older people.”
The research team used data from more than 5,000 people over the age of 50 who are part of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing to investigate the effects of shielding on mental health.
The data was collected during the first eight to nine months of the pandemic. Lockdowns were in effect during two of those months.
“Our analysis supports the idea that shielding itself has been harmful, over and above other known vulnerabilities,” said Dr Di Gessa.
“One reason for this could be the psychological impact of being told so starkly of your own vulnerability and mortality and the policing of your own behaviour, and resulting anxiety and stress.”
Respondents were asked whether during April, June/July, and November/December 2020 they shielded, stayed at home (leaving only for reasons such as exercise, essential work or shopping for food) or neither.
Their mental health was then assessed by asking questions about symptoms of depression and anxiety, their well-being and quality of life.
About 28 per cent of respondents said they shielded at least once, with 5 per cent shielding throughout the first eight to nine months of the pandemic.
About a 33 per cent reported staying at home all the time, while 37 per cent neither shielded nor stayed at home.
Among those adults who shielded at all times, in November and December 2020, 42 per cent reported elevated depressive symptoms compared with 23 per cent among those who did not shield nor stay at home.
Older people shielding throughout the period analysed in the study also reported the lowest life satisfaction and quality of life scores.
The researchers were able to account for pre-pandemic mental and physical health, as well as social contact with family and friends and loneliness during the pandemic, to better understand whether the links between shielding and poorer mental health were driven by pre-existing conditions or reduced social interactions and higher loneliness during the pandemic.
“Policymakers need to be aware of adverse consequences for the mental health and well-being of those advised to shield or stay at home,” said co-author Prof Debbie Price from the University of Manchester.
"If the long-term health and social well-being of older people is to be safeguarded, there must be careful thought given to addressing the mental health and wider needs of individuals at higher risk from Covid-19 variants, or future pandemics."
Points about the fast fashion industry Celine Hajjar wants everyone to know
- Fast fashion is responsible for up to 10 per cent of global carbon emissions
- Fast fashion is responsible for 24 per cent of the world's insecticides
- Synthetic fibres that make up the average garment can take hundreds of years to biodegrade
- Fast fashion labour workers make 80 per cent less than the required salary to live
- 27 million fast fashion workers worldwide suffer from work-related illnesses and diseases
- Hundreds of thousands of fast fashion labourers work without rights or protection and 80 per cent of them are women
The Gandhi Murder
- 71 - Years since the death of MK Gandhi, also christened India's Father of the Nation
- 34 - Nationalities featured in the film The Gandhi Murder
- 7 - million dollars, the film's budget
Turkish Ladies
Various artists, Sony Music Turkey
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'Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore'
Rating: 3/5
Directed by: David Yates
Starring: Mads Mikkelson, Eddie Redmayne, Ezra Miller, Jude Law
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Four motivational quotes from Alicia's Dubai talk
“The only thing we need is to know that we have faith. Faith and hope in our own dreams. The belief that, when we keep going we’re going to find our way. That’s all we got.”
“Sometimes we try so hard to keep things inside. We try so hard to pretend it’s not really bothering us. In some ways, that hurts us more. You don’t realise how dishonest you are with yourself sometimes, but I realised that if I spoke it, I could let it go.”
“One good thing is to know you’re not the only one going through it. You’re not the only one trying to find your way, trying to find yourself, trying to find amazing energy, trying to find a light. Show all of yourself. Show every nuance. All of your magic. All of your colours. Be true to that. You can be unafraid.”
“It’s time to stop holding back. It’s time to do it on your terms. It’s time to shine in the most unbelievable way. It’s time to let go of negativity and find your tribe, find those people that lift you up, because everybody else is just in your way.”
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Founders: Michele Ferrario, Nino Ulsamer and Freddy Lim
Started: established in 2016 and launched in July 2017
Based: Singapore, with offices in the UAE, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand
Sector: FinTech, wealth management
Initial investment: $500,000 in seed round 1 in 2016; $2.2m in seed round 2 in 2017; $5m in series A round in 2018; $12m in series B round in 2019; $16m in series C round in 2020 and $25m in series D round in 2021
Current staff: more than 160 employees
Stage: series D
Investors: EightRoads Ventures, Square Peg Capital, Sequoia Capital India
Opening Rugby Championship fixtures: Games can be watched on OSN Sports
Saturday: Australia v New Zealand, Sydney, 1pm (UAE)
Sunday: South Africa v Argentina, Port Elizabeth, 11pm (UAE)
The five pillars of Islam
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
