Psychological Symptoms of COVID-19 Pandemic Among Community-Dwelling Older People in Oman and Associated Risk Factors

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a dramatic loss of human lives worldwide. This study aimed to investigate the psychological factors of the COVID-19 pandemic in the community-dwelling older population. This was a cross-sectional study of older people aged ≥60 years with no mental or psychological illnesses. A total of 193 participants were recruited. The study questionnaire included anxiety- and depression-related questions tailored for the COVID-19 pandemic. The questionnaire was developed through a literature review and expert review. Data was collected from December 2020 to January 2022. The psychological symptoms of COVID-19 were high in this sample (mean 29.18 ± 3.57). Gender (female) was found to have a strong positive relationship with the psychological symptoms of COVID-19 score ( = 0.003). Chronic illnesses (β = 0.19,