“With change comes good and bad things”: Understanding Rural and Small-Town Older Adults’ Resilient Nature in Times of the COVID-19 Pandemic (Preprint)

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic posed a unique conflict between physical safety and other values (e.g., in-person social interactions) that threatened disproportionately older adults' mental health and social well-being. Further, older adults living in rural areas and small towns suffer from unique social exclusion during the pandemic due to a lack of services, such as transportation, communication infrastructure, and healthcare and social services. Contrary to the repeated reference to vulnerability by the public and academic community, some research demonstrates that older adults are more resilient emotionally when compared to younger age groups and uniquely able to cope with pandemic adversity. However, less attention has been directed to investigating coping and resilience from the perspectives of rural older adults.

This study sought to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic impacts the mental and social well-being of older adults living in rural areas and small towns in the USA, how they cope with pandemic stressors, and how coping strategies affect their resilience.

We conducted 26 remote 1-hr semi-structured interviews with older adults living in rural areas and small towns. The study was conducted in a single state in the U.S. Midwest (Indiana) during the initial stages of COVID-19. The interview protocol focused on capturing participants' lived experiences, changes to social engagement, usage of different services and facilities, perceptions of social support and interpersonal connections, and strengths and challenges experienced living in the community during the pandemic. Data from these interviews were analyzed using a thematic approach.

Participants experienced increased loneliness, anxiety, fear, and depression due to pandemic restrictions and disease mitigation measures (e.g., stay-at-home orders, lockdowns, social distancing, etc.) during the initial stages of the pandemic. Despite initial challenges, participants adopted different strategies to cope positively, such as following protective measures, keeping themselves busy, providing and receiving social support, and having a positive mindset. Participants also experienced positive changes, such as increased interpersonal connectivity, in the context of pandemic-invoked adversaries.

Our findings reflect the resilient nature of rural and small-town older adults in terms of their psychosocial response and coping strategies in the face of adverse circumstances of the pandemic. Our research reveals that older adults' individual-level coping processes are influenced by the social and physical environments in which they live. We anticipate our findings will guide future research to explore opportunities to support better late-life coping during crises and promote emotional resilience. In addition, the findings can be used to harness older adults' practices to facilitate the broader community's resilience in times of crisis.