The impact of COVID-19 Fear: evidence to inform social, health and economic recovery (a Healthy Ageing In Scotland study)
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Stirling
Department Name: Applied Social Science
Abstract
COVID-19 fear influences decisions such as visiting family and friends, attending GP/hospital
appointments, returning to the workplace and employment/consumption patterns. Yet there is no
generally accepted instrument to define or measure COVID-19 Fear. This study addresses the
problem by:
(1) constructing a robust and evidence-based survey instrument for COVID-19 Fear;
(2) using the instrument to measure prevalence among older people in Scotland, and
(3) relating this to willingness to re-engage across social, health, and economic domains as society
adjusts to what may be termed the 'new normal'.
This will help researchers and policymakers to understand and respond to the social, health, and
economic impacts of COVID-19 fear.
The effects of COVID-19 are likely to play out beyond the successful introduction of a vaccine or
treatment. So, it is essential that Scotland has the data infrastructure to advance understanding
now and in the future. Therefore, we will extend the Healthy Ageing In Scotland (HAGIS,
www.hagis.scot) study by partnering with Generation Scotland to advance the development of
Scotland's first comprehensive longitudinal study of ageing. Quantitative research will highlight
social gradients in COVID-19 fear and will be complemented by qualitative research to address the
effects of COVID-19 fear on the use of internet and mobile communication technology (ICT) during
lockdown and its impact on social connectedness, engagement with health services, return to the
workplace, and consumption and spending patterns. Further an eDelphi exercise will use findings
to inform policy and behavioural interventions to address COVID-19 fear.
appointments, returning to the workplace and employment/consumption patterns. Yet there is no
generally accepted instrument to define or measure COVID-19 Fear. This study addresses the
problem by:
(1) constructing a robust and evidence-based survey instrument for COVID-19 Fear;
(2) using the instrument to measure prevalence among older people in Scotland, and
(3) relating this to willingness to re-engage across social, health, and economic domains as society
adjusts to what may be termed the 'new normal'.
This will help researchers and policymakers to understand and respond to the social, health, and
economic impacts of COVID-19 fear.
The effects of COVID-19 are likely to play out beyond the successful introduction of a vaccine or
treatment. So, it is essential that Scotland has the data infrastructure to advance understanding
now and in the future. Therefore, we will extend the Healthy Ageing In Scotland (HAGIS,
www.hagis.scot) study by partnering with Generation Scotland to advance the development of
Scotland's first comprehensive longitudinal study of ageing. Quantitative research will highlight
social gradients in COVID-19 fear and will be complemented by qualitative research to address the
effects of COVID-19 fear on the use of internet and mobile communication technology (ICT) during
lockdown and its impact on social connectedness, engagement with health services, return to the
workplace, and consumption and spending patterns. Further an eDelphi exercise will use findings
to inform policy and behavioural interventions to address COVID-19 fear.
Publications
Arakelyan S
(2023)
Social, health and economic impact of COVID-19: Healthy Ageing In Scotland (HAGIS) - a protocol for a mixed-methods study.
in BMJ open
Comerford D
(2022)
Validation of the Worries Emerging from the Covid-19 Pandemic (WECP) Scale
| Description | We have produced a Worries Emerging from the Covid-19 Pandemic (WECP) scale to measure worries across the following dimensions: readjusting to society; isolation; restrictions; family and friends; financial worries, vaccine. We surveyed over 3,000 adults aged 50+ years living in Scotland during the pandemic and asked a variety of questions including COVID-19 worries, behavioural responses to the pandemic, and key questions in relation to social, health and economic issues. We found that there was variation in the levels of concern of COVID according to socio-demographic characteristics. In general, men, those who were retired, with higher levels of education, living in areas with lower deprivation and in good health expressed lower concern about the impact of the pandemic. People were willing to engage with health services (GP, dentist, outpatients appointments etc.) during the pandemic and felt safer in these environments than in other social spaces (e.g. pubs, cinemas, attending large events). Lack of engagement with these services were identified as service-level barriers such as cancellations or delayed appointments. Despite COVID-19 being a key health concern during the pandemic people expressed their greatest concern in relation to dementia or cancer. People who expressed higher levels of concern of COVID were also more likely to report that they would save against the risk of a future pandemic. Over half the sample said they would increase the proportion of holidays spent in the UK relative to abroad. Further, they reported that they would spend more online and locally and less further away from home. 40% of workers in our sample increased the hours working from home. Reasons for liking working from home included reduced infection risk, avoiding the commute, and greater control over own work schedule. However, many disliked the loneliness associated with home working. |
| Exploitation Route | Links to our academic publications and reports from the study are available on our website. www.hagis.scot Anonymised data from the survey will be available on the UK Data Service in Spring 2023. The sample includes recontact of participants in the original HAGIS pilot study. In effect, this has produced the first longitudinal wave of data for the HAGIS study. The HAGIS sample has been extended via the partnership with Generation Scotland. |
| Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Healthcare,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism |
| URL | https://www.hagis.scot/reports |
| Description | The findings have been disseminated to a range of audiences including local and national policymakers, third sector organisations, academics and general public. As a consequence, we have engaged with the Scottish Government across a range of directorates, including social research, statisticians, and health and social care analysts. It is too early to say what impact this study will have on policy. The study has increased the sample size of the original HAGIS study and has in effect produced a longitudinal dataset. Longitudinal data are required to enable analyses of causality and temporal sequences of events in people's lives. The study has helped to heighten the profile of HAGIS among other international ageing studies, for example, via the attendance of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), the Northern Ireland Cohort of Longitudinal Ageing (NICOLA) and The Irish Longitudinal Study of Ageing (TILDA) at our final report launch. We were able to discuss and contrast findings with the findings from these studies during the pandemic. We were also able to highlight the success of involving co-researchers in our work. This was of great interest to the other ageing studies and we hope others will adopt similar models in their future research. The study has also drawn attention from international ageing studies via the Gateway for Global Ageing and has renewed discussions on future research avenues and potential routes for funding. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2022 |
| Sector | Healthcare,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Other |
| Impact Types | Policy & public services |
| Description | David Bell gave evidence to the House of Commons Scottish Affairs Committee: Cost of living: impact on rural communities, HC 982 |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| URL | https://committees.parliament.uk/oralevidence/12721/html/ |
| Title | HAGIS COVID-19 Impact & Recovery Dataset |
| Description | Data collected as part of the HAGIS COVID-19 Impact & Recovery Study from adults aged 50+ living in Scotland during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | The dataset is currently in the process of gaining approval to be uploaded on to the UK Data Service. Once complete, anonymised data will be available to registered researchers for their own research and analyses. |
| Title | Worries Emerging from the Pandemic (WECP) scale |
| Description | A validated measure of Worries Emerging from the Covid-19 Pandemic (the WECP scale). The WECP scale captures the following dimensions: worries about the future course of the virus; worries about readjusting to society; feelings of isolation; worries about the continuation or reintroduction of restrictions; worries for family and friends; financial worries and worries regarding the safety and efficacy of Covid vaccines. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | The scale has been used in our subsequent analyses and outputs from the study. |
| URL | https://dspace.stir.ac.uk/retrieve/b1913912-a5d8-46c4-bf7e-534ce36993e0/ValidationofWorriesEmergingf... |
| Description | Generation Scotland |
| Organisation | Generation Scotland |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | We collaborated with Generation Scotland to facilitate the extension of the sample for the HAGIS study. This included contacting (with relevant consent and ethical approvals) existing Generation Scotland participants to take part in the HAGIS Covid Fear study. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Generation Scotland team worked with us to provide contact details of participants who had consented to be approached by other studies. Together, we identified the criteria for inclusion in the study. The Generation Scotland team were available to provide answer queries from potential participants who had questions. |
| Impact | Multi-disciplinary team: public health, economics, data scientists; geneticists |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | 2022 Gateway to Global Aging Workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Represented HAGIS at the Gateway to Global Aging Workshop which included many discussions in relation to cross-country responses to COVID-19, long-term care, and joining the Policies and Institutions workshop session. This lead to follow on conversations with members of the Gateway at subsequent events (e.g. SLLS conference in Cleveland) and other discussions in relation to future funding for HAGIS. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | 2023 SLLS Online Serminar: An overview of HAGIS |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | To raise awareness of HAGIS and its dataset to a body of researchers as part of the SLLS Online Seminar Series |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.slls.org.uk/events/2023-slls-online-seminar-series-session-2 |
| Description | Age Scotland - Unforgotten Forces |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | The presentation to third sector employees and members of Unforgotten Forces highlighted the work to be undertaken by the study in relation to COVID fear in older people and how this may be impacting their lives. There was great interest in the topic, and it generated a lot of discussion among the attendees. The study has been invited to write an article for the Unforgotten Forces Magazine in Spring/Summer 2022. https://www.ageuk.org.uk/scotland/what-we-do/supporting-older-veterans/unforgotten-forces/unforgotten-forces-magazine/ |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | British & Irish Longitudinal Studies Conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This event was an opportunity for the British and Irish Longitudinal Studies to come together to present and discuss recent findings, discuss impact of pandemic on the choice of survey methodologies used in ageing studies and how this may affect future waves, connect and reconnect researchers to support further collaborations. Importantly, the event also offered an opportunity for PhD students to present their work. For some, this was the first time they had presented their work in-person as their PhD had started during lockdown/travel restrictions, and therefore promoted capacity building. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | CLOSER Conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This presentation was given as part of the CLOSER conference in January 2022. The audience included members of other longitudinal studies and therefore helped to raise the profile of HAGIS, in addition, to reporting on the work with our co-researchers as part of the Participant and public engagement - Engaging the public and external stakeholders section of the conference. Dr Tamara Brown presented on the following on behalf of the study: Co-researchers have been particularly valuable in identifying key areas of concern, shaping survey questions, and writing recruitment scripts. Co-researchers report benefits with the online group providing support and shared experiences throughout the pandemic. The value of co-production with people that reflect a cohort of interest should not be underestimated and should be built-in to new longitudinal studies. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.closer.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/Preparing-for-the-future-III-Book-of-abstracts.pdf |
| Description | ESRC Data and Infrastructure Directors Meeting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Represented HAGIS at the meeting and had the opportunity to participate in discussion about issues related to the UK data infrastructure. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | HAGIS End of Project Report Launch |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Over 50 people attended the end of project report launch at the University of Stirling. The audience included other national and international ageing studies, members of the Scottish Government, a range of third sector organisations including Ageing Scotlland, and co-researchers. The event launched a range of questions and discussions including cross-country comparisons of findings, e.g. other ageing studies also conducted surveys during the pandemic and we were able to compare and contrast findings. In some cases these supported our findings and/or helped us to further interpret our findings. Following the event, we received 2 invitations to meet with the Scottish Government i) to discuss the study findings with senior researchers and statisticians, and ii) to give a presentation at the Health & Social Care Learning & Development session in March 2023. There was also considerable interest from the other ageing studies in our co-researchers and how their work supported and enhanced the study. Time will tell if this will spark the inclusion of co-researchers in their studies in the future. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | HCAP Network Meeting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Participated in the Healthy Cognitive Aging Protocol (HCAP) Network Meeting. This provided useful insight into how the HCAP studies work and has informed discussion on the potential for HAGIS to pursue a similar HCAP sub-study. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Meeting with Scottish Government |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Discussion with Senior Researchers on role HAGIS could play in informing policy debate in relation to its ageing population. Further to this we have been invited to present our work to the ScotScience network at the Scottish Government. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Meeting with Scottish Government |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Meeting with Chief Statistician Office official to discuss potential impact of HAGIS to support/inform policy debate on key issues related to its ageing population. This meeting lead to further conversations, a meeting with another leading civil servant, and a subsequent invitation to present HAGIS at the Scottish Government ScotScience network meeting. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Presentation to Action Group for Isolation & Loneliness |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | Reported HAGIS findings in relation to social connections and loneliness during the pandemic, and concerns older people have as they consider the future. Provided an opportunity for the audience to reflect on how the findings resonate with their experiences in their professional roles. Extended an invitation to get involved in our eDelphi consultation. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Presentation to Scottish Government: Health & Social Care Analysts Learning & Development Session - 1 March 2023 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | The presentation focussed on inequalities in COVID-19 fear in older people in Scotland and its association with engagement with a range of social, health and economic activities. In particular, we addressed the structural and individual level barriers and facilitators to engagement with health services (visiting GP, outpatients, dentist, etc.) and other social activities (going to the shops, cinema, visiting friends, etc.) during the pandemic and importantly on perceived changes in behaviours as restrictions were lifted. There were a range of questions from the audience of Scottish Government analysts and policy makers. We have since arranged subsequent meetings with the Scottish Government to follow up on particular aspects of our work and how it may inform policy debate. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |