RAPID: Older adults’ learning and adaptation as resilience processes to counter social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic

RAPID：老年人的学习和适应是应对 COVID-19 大流行期间社会孤立的复原力过程

• 批准号: 2029575
• 负责人: Rachel Wu
• 金额: $ 13.25万
• 依托单位: University of California-Riverside
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-06-01 至 2024-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2029575&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RAPID; Older; adults; learning; adaptation

The mental health and well-being of older adults are being threatened by the COVID-19 social distancing requirements that have limited social connectivity. For older adults, long-term social isolation predicts cognitive decline trajectories, reduced subjective well-being, and increased mortality. Thus, the COVID-19 global pandemic could intensify negative aging trajectories, even for healthy older adults. The proposed research will investigate factors that lead to or mitigate against social isolation and loneliness amid the current physical distancing restrictions. The primary hypothesis is that resilience across adulthood is dependent on two theoretically-derived factors: engagement in novel skill learning and positive personal beliefs. The results of these studies could guide the design of future interventions, such as supportive learning opportunities through technology. The unknown duration of the physical distancing restrictions, and the potential for future waves of infection drive the urgency of this research to develop enhanced resilience pathways. This RAPID proposal seeks to examine social distancing in older adults and other potentially vulnerable populations through three aims: 1) Investigate how and to what extent different demographic groups (e.g. age, SES) are staying socially connected despite physical distancing; 2) Evaluate how learning and adaptive behaviors, and personal beliefs about age/abilities, predict successful social connectivity, higher subjective well-being, and lower levels of isolation and loneliness during the pandemic; and 3) Conduct match pair-comparisons with older adults who previously participated in a learning intervention promoting adaptation and positive beliefs. Integrating beliefs and behaviors to predict outcomes is central to Social Cognitive Theory. The current research will collect data before and after restrictions are revised to assess an extended conceptual model of this theory that focuses specifically on novel skill learning for adaptation. Findings from this project will inform development of infrastructures to better support older adults under social distancing practices of COVID-19 and other future crises.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

COVID-19的社交距离要求限制了社交联系，老年人的心理健康和福祉正受到威胁。对于老年人来说，长期的社会隔离预示着认知能力下降的轨迹，主观幸福感降低，死亡率增加。因此，COVID-19全球大流行可能会加剧负面的老龄化轨迹，即使是健康的老年人。这项拟议中的研究将调查在目前的物理距离限制下导致或减轻社交孤立和孤独的因素。主要的假设是，成年后的韧性取决于两个理论推导的因素：参与新技能学习和积极的个人信念。这些研究的结果可以指导未来干预措施的设计，例如通过技术提供支持性学习机会。物理距离限制的未知持续时间以及未来感染浪潮的可能性促使这项研究迫切需要开发增强弹性的途径。本RAPID提案旨在通过三个目标来研究老年人和其他潜在弱势群体的社交距离：1）调查不同人口群体如何以及在多大程度上（如年龄，社会经济地位）保持社会联系，尽管物理距离; 2）评估学习和适应行为以及个人对年龄/能力的信念如何预测成功的社会联系，更高的主观幸福感，在大流行期间，隔离和孤独的程度较低; 3）与以前参加过促进适应和积极信念的学习干预的老年人进行配对比较。整合信念和行为来预测结果是社会认知理论的核心。目前的研究将收集数据之前和之后的限制进行修订，以评估这一理论的扩展概念模型，专门侧重于新的技能学习适应。该项目的研究结果将为基础设施的发展提供信息，以便在COVID-19和其他未来危机的社交距离实践中更好地支持老年人。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。