Context Matters: Health Sensitivity in the Daily Lives of Older Adults Living Through the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Abstract Objectives Throughout 2021, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic caused renewed restrictions across Germany. Given the growing evidence that the pandemic negatively affects older adults’ health and well-being, this study investigated health sensitivity (emotional reactions to momentary health challenges) and its moderators (age, morbidity, perceived COVID-19 risks and worries) among older adults in their everyday lives during the second and third waves of the pandemic. Methods Multilevel models were applied to self-reported momentary health and affect data, collected 6 times per day across 7 consecutive days in 104 participants (Mage = 76.35; range: 67–88 years), assessed between April and June 2021 (~300,000 COVID-19 cases in Germany at the time). Results Health sensitivity was unrelated to age and lower with higher morbidity. Importantly, older adults showed higher health sensitivity in moments when they also perceived a greater risk of contracting COVID-19. Discussion Findings suggest that sociocontextual factors related to the pandemic modulate emotional reactions to momentary health challenges, thereby underscoring the consequences of COVID-19 for older adults’ emotional experiences.