Crisis Exposure, Social Capital and Mental Health Resilience in European Adults Aged 50+ During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic
1
Social Research Institute, University College London, London, United Kingdom
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Older adults face significant mental-health risks during major crises, yet evidence remains limited on the efficacy of social and community resources in supporting resilience to the short-/ long-term impacts of major societal disruptions.^1 The global onset/impact of the COVID-19 pandemic provides a unique opportunity to examine how individual- and contextual-level social capital^2 protected older adults’ mental health during and after a major public-health emergency.^3
METHODS:
Longitudinal data were drawn from four waves of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (2019–2022) of adults aged 50+ across 28 European countries and Israel. Individual interviews were linked to daily data on government restriction stringency, COVID-19 cases and deaths, and national policy responses. Regional (NUTS1) social capital indicators (family/friend networks; civic/social participation) were derived from the European Social Survey. Fixed-effects models estimated within-person changes in mental health associated with evolving pandemic severity and assessed whether individual- and contextual-level social capital moderated these effects. Post-pandemic scarring was evaluated using cumulative, recency-weighted indices capturing the duration/intensity of exposure to restrictions, cases, and deaths.
RESULTS:
Increasing government restrictions were associated with short-term declines in mental health among older adults, whereas case/death rates had limited influence once restrictions were considered. Individual- and regional-level civic/social participation substantially reduced this impact: among older adults with high civic engagement or living in high-participation regions, restrictions showed no association with mental-health decline. Greater cumulative exposure to stringent restrictions predicted poorer post-pandemic mental health, indicating scarring. However, individual-/contextual-level civic/social participation markedly mitigated these longer-term effects. Informal family/friend networks showed few protective patterns.
CONCLUSIONS:
Civic/social participation, both among older adults and within the wider community, functioned as a critical protective factor for mental health during the pandemic and in its aftermath. Strengthening civic infrastructures and supporting sustained participation among older adults should be central to crisis preparedness for ageing societies.
Older adults face significant mental-health risks during major crises, yet evidence remains limited on the efficacy of social and community resources in supporting resilience to the short-/ long-term impacts of major societal disruptions.^1 The global onset/impact of the COVID-19 pandemic provides a unique opportunity to examine how individual- and contextual-level social capital^2 protected older adults’ mental health during and after a major public-health emergency.^3
METHODS:
Longitudinal data were drawn from four waves of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (2019–2022) of adults aged 50+ across 28 European countries and Israel. Individual interviews were linked to daily data on government restriction stringency, COVID-19 cases and deaths, and national policy responses. Regional (NUTS1) social capital indicators (family/friend networks; civic/social participation) were derived from the European Social Survey. Fixed-effects models estimated within-person changes in mental health associated with evolving pandemic severity and assessed whether individual- and contextual-level social capital moderated these effects. Post-pandemic scarring was evaluated using cumulative, recency-weighted indices capturing the duration/intensity of exposure to restrictions, cases, and deaths.
RESULTS:
Increasing government restrictions were associated with short-term declines in mental health among older adults, whereas case/death rates had limited influence once restrictions were considered. Individual- and regional-level civic/social participation substantially reduced this impact: among older adults with high civic engagement or living in high-participation regions, restrictions showed no association with mental-health decline. Greater cumulative exposure to stringent restrictions predicted poorer post-pandemic mental health, indicating scarring. However, individual-/contextual-level civic/social participation markedly mitigated these longer-term effects. Informal family/friend networks showed few protective patterns.
CONCLUSIONS:
Civic/social participation, both among older adults and within the wider community, functioned as a critical protective factor for mental health during the pandemic and in its aftermath. Strengthening civic infrastructures and supporting sustained participation among older adults should be central to crisis preparedness for ageing societies.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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