The Psychological Impact of Covid-19 Quarantine among Selected Elderly Residents of Selected Regions in Luzon, Philippines

Abstract

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) brought about by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 has rapidly spread across the globe since it started in December of 2019. As a response to this pandemic, strict protocols such as quarantine were implemented. This study seeks to analyze the psychological impact of quarantine due to the pandemic and assess its correlation to certain demographic variables such as location, age, sex, civil status, occupation, living arrangement, income status, and health status. It utilized a quantitative descriptive method and focused on the working-age group of 60-64 years residing in regions with the highest number of reported COVID-19 cases — National Capital Region, Region 3, and Region 4A. A survey questionnaire was developed and underwent beta testing before deployment to gather the needed data. An online survey through snowball sampling method was then conducted. Google forms were used to distribute informed consent forms and surveys to 300 respondents through social media sites. Respondents were allowed to have a legally authorized representative to help them answer the questions. The data were analyzed using percentage, weighted mean, and analysis of variance with Eta for correlation. Significant findings are made wherein data shows that quarantine confinement has affected the psychological factors — motivation, attitude and beliefs, and socialization — of the elderly to large and very large extents and is correlated to four demographic variables: location, age, occupation, and health status. This paper recommends further explorative research into different age groups and psychological factors and recommends utilizing other data gathering techniques.