ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health

Sec. Public Mental Health

Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1550719

Differences in the associations between mental health, wellness, and age during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in a multi-country survey

Provisionally accepted
  • 1Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife, Osun, Nigeria
  • 2University of Sierra Sur,, Oaxaca,, Mexico
  • 3Alexandria University, Alexandria, Alexandria, Egypt
  • 4Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
  • 5Department of Clinical Sciences, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria
  • 6Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Lagos, Nigeria
  • 7University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
  • 8Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Irbid, Jordan
  • 9University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo, Nigeria
  • 10Regent's University London, London, United Kingdom
  • 11University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
  • 12School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
  • 13University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States
  • 14University of Bergen, Bergen, Hordaland, Norway
  • 15University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic substantially impacted mental health. This study explored age-related differences in the mental health and well-being of participants during the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: Secondary analyses of data from 21,106 participants collected between July and December 2020 across 152 countries was conducted. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to determine the relationship between the dependent variables and age after accounting for potential confounders. The dependent variables examined were emotional distress, social isolation, sleep pattern changes, sexual activity changes, financial security, housing and food insecurity, changes in family relationships, memory complaints, and posttraumatic stress syndrome (PTSS). Age groups were considered: young adults (18-24), adults (25-49), and older individuals (>50). The confounding variables were sociodemographic variables namely: sex (male or female), marital status (single or has had a relationship), employment status (employed, unemployed, student, or retiree), educational status (none, primary, secondary, or college/university), country of residence income (low-income countries, lower-middle-income countries, upper-middle-income countries, and high-income countries) and pandemic stringency index indicating the comprehensiveness of pandemic policies adopted at country level.Results: Of the 21,106 participants, 12,807 (60.7%) were aged 25-49. Compared to those over 50, 18-24-year-olds had significantly higher odds of increased sexual activity (AOR: 4.41), housing insecurity (AOR: 1.73), and PTSD (AOR: 3.22), but lower odds of social isolation (AOR: 0.66), food insecurity (AOR: 0.85), and memory complaints (AOR: 0.53). Similarly, 25-49-year-olds had higher odds of increased sexual activity (AOR: 2.65), housing insecurity (AOR: 2.28), food insecurity (AOR: 1.14), worsened family relationships (AOR: 1.15), and PTSD (AOR: 2.24), but lower odds of social isolation (AOR: 0.84), sleep disturbances (AOR: 0.82), and memory complaints (AOR: 0.81). Emotional distress and financial insecurity did not differ significantly across age groups.The study highlights age-specific variations in mental health challenges during the pandemic. The nuanced impact of age on mental well-being emphasizes the need for targeted interventions. Future research should explore the interplay between age, pandemic-related factors, and specific mental health outcomes to inform tailored support mechanisms for diverse age groups.

Keywords: Mental Health, wellbeing, Wellness, global health, Post-traumatic stress disorder

Received: 30 Dec 2024; Accepted: 28 Apr 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Folayan, Abeldaño Zuñiga, Aly, Ellakany, Ezechi, Gaffar, Ibigbami, Idigbe, Ishabiyi, Khader, Lawal, Lusher, Miranda, Ndembi, Popoola, Quadri, Virtanen, El Tantawi and Nguyen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Moréniké Oluwátóyìn Folayan, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife, 220005, Osun, Nigeria

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