Ageism against older adults in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: an integrative review

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11606/s1518-8787.2021055003082

Keywords:

Aged, Ageism, Health of the elderly, Geriatrics, Coronavirus infections, Social discrimination, Prejudice, Stereotyping, Health policy, Review

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To report the main results of studies on prejudice, stereotyping, and age-based discrimination (ageism) in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This is an integrative review of the literature on ageism in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, conducted between May and June 2020, with data collected from the following databases: Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE/ PubMed), Web of Science (Thompson Reuters), Scopus (Elsevier Science), Literatura Latino-Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde (Lilacs) and Scientific Eletronic Library Online (SciELO). RESULTS: Twenty-one publications addressing ageism during the pandemics, its origins, consequences, and ethical and political implications were analyzed. All publications were theoretical with a critical/reflexive approach, being 90,5% opinion articles (n = 19) and 9,5% research (n = 2). The main findings indicate criticisms regarding resources allocation and intensive care based exclusively on age. The results also highlight the impacts of social isolation, the use of technologies and social media, and intergenerational relationships within the COVID-19 scenario. CONCLUSION: According to most publications, although ageism has always been present, it became more evident during the COVID-19 pandemic as a form of discrimination against older adults. “Ageist” discourses may exert a negative influence in older adults’ lives, causing severe social and psychological impacts.

References

Wu F, Zhao S, Yu B, Chen Y-M, Wang W, Song Z-G, et al. A new coronavirus associated with human respiratory disease in China. Nature. 2020;579(7798):265-9. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2008-3

World Health Organization. Coronavirus disease 2020 (COVID-19) situation report – 67. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2020.

World Health Organization. WHO Director-General’s opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19 – 11 March 2020. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2020.

Wang D, Hu B, Hu C, Zhu F, Liu X, Zhang J, et al. Clinical characteristics of 138 hospitalized patients with 2019 novel coronavirus-infected pneumonia in Wuhan, China. JAMA. 2020;323(11):1061-9. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2020.1585

Li Q, Guan X, Wu P, Wang X, Zhou L, Tong Y, et al. Early transmission dynamics in Wuhan, China, of novel coronavirus-infected pneumonia. N Engl J Med. 2020;382(13):1199-207. https://doi.org/10.1056/nejmoa2001316

Nikolich-Zugich J, Knox KS, Rios CT, Natt B, Bhattacharya D, Fain MJ. SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 in older adults: what we may expect regarding pathogenesis, immune responses, and outcomes. Review Geroscience. 2020;42(2):505-14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-020-00186-0

Aprahamian I, Cesari M. Geriatric syndromes and SARS-COV-2: more than just being old. J Frailty Aging. 2020;9(3):127-9. https://doi.org/10.14283/jfa.2020.17

Ferguson N, Laydon D, Nedjati-Gilani G, Imai N, Ainslie K, Baguelin M, et al. Report – Impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to reduce COVID-19 mortality and healthcare demand. London: Imperial College London; 2020. https://doi.org/10.25561/77482

Bezerra ACV, Silva CEM, Soares FRG, et at. Fatores associados ao comportamento da população durante o isolamento social na pandemia de Covid-19. Ciênc Saúde Coletiva. 2020;25(1 Suppl). https://doi.org/10.1590/1413-81232020256.1.10792020

Hale T, Petherick A, Phillips T, Webster S. Variation in government responses to COVID-19. Oxford, GB: BSG Working Papers; 2020.

Victor CR, Bowling A. A longitudinal analysis of loneliness among older people in Great Britain. J Psychol. 2012;146(3):313-31.

Douglas M, Katikireddi SV, Taulbut M, McKee M, McCartney G. Mitigating the wider health effects of covid-19 pandemic response. BMJ. 2020;369:m1557. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m1557

Menec VH, Newall NE, Mackenzie CS, Shooshtari S, Nowicki S. Examining social isolation and loneliness in combination in relation to social support and psychological distress using Canadian Longitudinal Study of Aging (CLSA) data. PloS one. 2020;15(3):e0230673. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0230673

Holt-Lunstad J, Smith TB, Baker M, Harris T, Stephenson D. Loneliness and social isolation as risk factors for mortality: a meta-analytic review. Perspect Psychol Sci. 2015;10(2):227-37. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691614568352

Smith BJ, Lim MH. How the COVID-19 pandemic is focusing attention on loneliness and social isolation. Public Health Res Pract. 2020;30(2):3022008. https://doi.org/10.17061/phrp3022008

Beller J, Wagner A. Loneliness, social isolation, their synergistic interaction, and mortality. Health Psychol. 2018;37(9):808-13. https://doi.org/10.1037/hea0000605

Ayalon L. There is nothing new under the sun: ageism and intergenerational tension in the age of the COVID-19 outbreak. Int Psychogeriatr. 2020:1-4. https://doi.org/10.1017%2FS1041610220000575

Brooke J, Jackson D. Older people and COVID-19: isolation, risk and ageism. J Clin Nurs. 2020;29(13-14):2044-6. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.15274

Butler RN. Age-ism: Another form of bigotry. Gerontologist. 1969;9(4):243-6. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/9.4_Part_1.243

Butler RN. Why Survive? Being old in America. New York: Harper And Row; 1975. 521 p.

Abrams D, Russell PS, Vauclair C-M, Swift H. Ageism in the European region: findings from the European Social Survey. In: Ayalon L, Tesch-Römer C, editors. Contemporary perspectives on ageism. New York: Springer Publishing; 2018. p. 441-59. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-73820-8

Sweiry D, Willitts M. Attitudes to age in Britain 2010/11. London: Department for Work and Pensions; 2012. 112 p.

Mendes KDS, Silveira RCCP, Galvão CM. Revisão integrativa: método de pesquisa para a incorporação de evidências na saúde e na enfermagem. Texto & Contexto Enferm. 2008;17(4):758-64. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0104-07072008000400018

Cesari M, Proietti M. COVID-19 in Italy: ageism and decision making in a pandemic. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2020;21(5):576-7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2020.03.025

Jimenez-Sotomayor MR, Gomez-Moreno C, Soto-Perez-de-Celis E. Coronavirus, ageism, and Twitter: an evaluation of tweets about older adults and COVID-19. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2020;68(8):1661-5. https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.16508

Petretto DR, Pili R. Ageing and COVID-19: what is the role for elderly people? Geriatrics (Basel). 2020;5(2):25. https://doi.org/10.3390/geriatrics5020025

Morrow-Howell N, Galucia N, Swinford E. Recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic: a focus on older adults. J Aging Soc Policy. 2020;32(4-5):526-35. https://doi.org/10.1080/08959420.2020.1759758

Fraser S, Lagacé M, Bongué B, Ndeye N, Guyot J, Bechard L, et al. Ageism and COVID-19: what does our society’s response say about us? Age Ageing. 2020;49(5):692-5. https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afaa097

Banerjee D. “Age and ageism in COVID-19”: elderly mental health-care vulnerabilities and needs. Asian J Psychiatr. 2020;51:102154. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2020.102154

Berg-Weger M, Schroepfer T. COVID-19 Pandemic: workforce implications for gerontological social work. J Gerontol Soc Work. 2020;63(6-7):524-9. https://doi.org/10.1080/01634372.2020.1772934

Swinford E, Galucia N, Morrow-Howell N. Applying gerontological social work perspectives to the coronavirus pandemic. J Gerontol Soc Work. 2020;63(6-7):513-23. https://doi.org/10.1080/01634372.2020.1766628

Ayalon L, Chasteen A, Diehl M, Levy BR, Neupert SD, Rothermund K, et al. Aging in Times of the COVID-19 pandemic: avoiding ageism and fostering intergenerational solidarity. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2020;gbaa051. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbaa051

Archard D, Caplan A. Is it wrong to prioritise younger patients with covid-19? BMJ. 2020;369:m1509. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m1509

Ehni H-J, Wahl H-W. Six propositions against ageism in the COVID-19 pandemic. J Aging Soc Policy. 2020;32(4-5):515-25. https://doi.org/10.1080/08959420.2020.1770032

Tarazona-Santabalbina FJ, Martínez-Velilla N, Vidán MT, García-Navarro JA. COVID-19, older adults and ageism: mistakes that should never happen again. Rev Esp Geriatr Gerontol. 2020;55(4):191-2. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.regg.2020.04.001

Savulescu J, Cameron J, Wilkinson D. Equality or utility? Ethics and law of rationing ventilators. Br J Anaesth. 2020;125(1):10-5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bja.2020.04.011

Previtali F, Allen LD, Varlamova M. Not only virus spread: the diffusion of ageism during the outbreak of COVID-19. J Aging Soc Policy. 2020;32(4-5):506-14. https://doi.org/10.1080/08959420.2020.1772002

Martínez-Sellés D, Martínez-Sellés H, Martinez-Sellés M. Ethical issues in decision-making regarding the elderly affected by coronavirus disease 2019: an expert opinion. Eur Cardiol. 2020;15:e48. https://doi.org/10.15420/ecr.2020.14

Reynolds L. The COVID-19 Pandemic exposes limited understanding of ageism. J Aging Soc Policy. 2020;32(4-5):499-505. https://doi.org/10.1080/08959420.2020.1772003

Hammerschmidt KAS, Santana RF. Health of the older adults in times of the COVID-19. Cogitare Enferm. 2020;25:e72849. http://doi.org/10.5380/ce.v25i0.72849

Rahman A, Jahan Y. Defining a ‘risk group’ and ageism in the era of COVID-19. J Loss Trauma. 2020;25(8):635-4. https://doi.org/10.1080/15325024.2020.1757993

Flett GL, Heisel MJ. Aging and feeling valued versus expendable during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond: a review and commentary of why mattering is fundamental to the health and well-being of older adults. Int J Ment Health Addict. 2020;1-27. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-020-00339-4

Chasteen AL, Horhota M, Crumley-Branyon JJ. Overlooked and underestimated: experiences of ageism in young, middle-aged, and older adults. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2020;gbaa043. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbaa043

Chang E-S, Kannoth S, Levy S, Wang S-Y, Lee JE, Levy BR. Global reach of ageism on older persons’ health: a systematic review. PloS one. 2020;15(1):e0220857. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0220857

Ouchida KM, Lachs MS. Not for doctors only: ageism in healthcare. Generations. 2015;39(3):46-57.

Temple JB, Kelaher M, Brooke L, Utomo A, Williams R. Discrimination and disability: types of discrimination and association with trust, self-efficacy and life satisfaction among older Australians. Australas J Ageing. 2020;39(2):122-30. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajag.12747

Plagg B, Engl A, Piccoliori G, Eisendle K. Prolonged social isolation of the elderly during COVID-19: between benefit and damage. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2020;89:104086. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.archger.2020.104086

Meisner BA. Are You OK, Boomer? Intensification of ageism and intergenerational tensions on social media amid COVID-19. Leis Sci. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1080/01490400.2020.1773983

Burnes D, Sheppard C, Henderson CRJ, Wassel M, Cope R, Barber C, et al. Interventions to reduce ageism against older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Public Health. 2019;109(8):e1-e9. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2019.305123

Neri AL, Yassuda MS, Araújo LF, Eulálio MC, Cabral BE, Siqueira MEC, et al. Metodologia e perfil sociodemográfico, cognitivo e de fragilidade de idosos comunitários de sete cidades brasileiras: Estudo FIBRA. Cad Saude Publica. 2013;29(4):778–92. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0102-311X2013000400015.

Published

2021-04-05

Issue

Section

Review

How to Cite

Ageism against older adults in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: an integrative review. (2021). Revista De Saúde Pública, 55, 4. https://doi.org/10.11606/s1518-8787.2021055003082