The quality of life and well-being of nursing home residents and their relatives during the COVID-19 pandemic: A quantitative approach

TL;DR

This study compares the well-being of nursing home residents and their relatives during the pandemic, finding that stress was the main factor affecting quality of life.

Contribution

The study quantitatively compares the impact of pandemic isolation on residents and relatives using validated psychological scales.

Findings

Relatives coped better with lockdown isolation than residents.

Residents had lower post-traumatic stress symptoms than relatives.

Perceived stress was the strongest predictor of quality of life for both groups.

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, nursing homes implemented protection measures to limit contact with others. Measures implemented in Switzerland included in-room isolation, prohibitions on group eating, and limitations on visiting and group activities. Nursing home residents thus experienced long periods of social isolation, which could have impacted their well-being and that of their relatives (whether direct family or other loved ones). The present study aimed to quantitatively describe and compare the quality of life, well-being and coping strategies of nursing home residents and their relatives during the implementation of protection measures against COVID-19 in the French-speaking part of Switzerland.

136 residents and 47 relatives from 13 nursing homes responded to the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (Brief-COPE) questionnaire, the Impact of Event Scale-6 (IES-6) and the Post-Trauma Growth Inventory (PTGI). The only (minimal) difference between groups was that resident’s QoL was evaluated using the WHOQOL-OLD, and relatives’ QoL was evaluated using the WHOQOL-BREF scale. Non-parametric T-test were used to compare between group when possible, and linear regression to evaluate predictor of quality of life.

Results showed that relatives coped better with lockdown isolation than did residents, residents developed lower levels of post-traumatic stress symptoms than relatives but there was no difference between the groups regarding perceived stress. Multiple linear regression calculations on indicators of quality of life showed that overall quality of life was most impacted by perceived stress. In the Psychological Health subscale, the familial link also reached significance: relatives who were part of a resident’s direct family had a better psychological QoL than other loved ones from outside.

The protection measures against COVID-19 isolated nursing residents, which impacted their quality of life and distanced residents and their relatives. In both populations, stress symptoms were the single most important predictor of quality of life.

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