%0 Journal Article
%@ 2561-7605
%I JMIR Publications
%V 4
%N 2
%P e25876
%T Gender Differences in State Anxiety Related to Daily Function Among Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Questionnaire Study
%A Rosenblum,Sara
%A Cohen Elimelech,Ortal
%+ The Laboratory of Complex Human Activity and Participation, Department of Occupational Therapy, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Haifa, 31905, Israel, 972 4 8240474, rosens@research.haifa.ac.il
%K COVID-19
%K coronavirus
%K anxiety
%K cognition
%K aging
%K eHealth
%K online data
%D 2021
%7 3.6.2021
%9 Original Paper
%J JMIR Aging
%G English
%X Background: The COVID-19 pandemic poses a challenge to people’s day-to-day functioning and emotional and physical health, especially among older adults. Objective: The aim of this study is to analyze gender differences in state anxiety, daily functional self-actualization, and functional cognition as well as the relationships among those factors in older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Methods: We collected data on the web from a sample of 204 people (102 men and 102 women) aged 60 years and older. In addition to a demographic questionnaire, we used the State-Trait Personality Inventory to assess state anxiety, the Daily Functional Actualization questionnaire to evaluate daily functional self-actualization, and the Daily Living Questionnaire to measure functional cognition. Results: Significant gender differences were found for state anxiety (t202=−2.36, P=.02); daily functional self-actualization (t202=2.15, P=.03); and the functional cognition components: complex tasks (Z=−3.07, P=.002); cognitive symptoms that might be interfering (Z=−2.15, P=.028); executive functions (Z=−2.21, P=.024); and executive function monitoring (Z=−2.21, P=.027). Significant medium correlations were found between both state anxiety level and daily functional self-actualization (r=−0.62, P<.001) and functional cognition (r=0.37-0.40, P<.001). Gender predicted 3% of the variance in state anxiety level, while daily functional self-actualization predicted 41% and complex activities (Daily Living Questionnaire) predicted an additional 3% (F3,200=58.01, P<.001). Conclusions: In older adults, anxiety is associated with cognitive decline, which may harm daily functional abilities and lead to social isolation, loneliness, and decreased well-being. Self-awareness and knowledge of gender differences and relationships between common available resources of daily functional self-actualization and functional cognition with anxiety may be strengthening factors in crisis periods such as the COVID-19 pandemic. 
%M 33939623
%R 10.2196/25876
%U https://aging.jmir.org/2021/2/e25876
%U https://doi.org/10.2196/25876
%U http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33939623