Comparative analysis of the Stress Levels of Young, Working Aged, and Elderly Jamaicans before and during the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic

Authors

  • Paul Andrew Bourne Department of Institutional Research, Northern Caribbean University, Mandeville, Manchester, Jamaica, WI.
  • Ruth Thompson Department of Nursing, Northern Caribbean University, Mandeville, Manchester, Jamaica, WI.
  • Matthew Wallace Department of Nursing, Northern Caribbean University, Mandeville, Manchester, Jamaica, WI.
  • Kedeisha Higgins Department of Nursing, Northern Caribbean University, Mandeville, Manchester, Jamaica, WI.
  • Tamoya Russell Department of Nursing, Northern Caribbean University, Mandeville, Manchester, Jamaica, WI.
  • James Fallah Department of Dental Hygiene, Northern Caribbean University, Mandeville, Manchester, Jamaica, WI.
  • Calvin Campbell Department of Mathematics and Engineering, Northern Caribbean University, Mandeville, Manchester, Jamaica, WI.
  • Clifton Foster Department of Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences, Northern Caribbean University, Mandeville, Manchester, Jamaica, WI.
  • Caroline McLean Department of Nursing, Northern Caribbean University, Mandeville, Manchester, Jamaica, WI.

Abstract

Introduction: The COVID-19 crisis caused various problems, including those indirectly related to the virus, such as a lockdown and movement restrictions implemented by the government. While lockdown intended to contain the virus, its effects ranging from physical to psychological is now evident.

Objective: This study seeks to analyze and compare the stress levels of young adults and elderly Jamaicans during the coronavirus pandemic.

Methods: A correlational research design to collect data from young adults and elderly Jamaicans. The 506 survey participants included males and females within a cohort of 18 to 84 years and over. The perceived stress scale PSS-10 questionnaires assessed the level of stress of the respondents (Cohen 1983). The data was then converted from Google Form into Statistical Packages for the Social Sciences (SPSS) for Windows, Version 27.0, with a 95% confidence interval and 5% margin of error from the calculated sample size of 506.

Findings: Of the sampled respondents, 62.46% of Jamaicans were highly stressed, and an 82.76% increase occurred among those highly stressed since COVID-19. Before the pandemic, stress was prevalent among young adults between ages 18 and 35, with a moderate stress level of 61.3% compared to those older than 61 years, at a 37.3% moderate stress level. However, this figure has changed; findings reveal that a greater percentage of those above 61years of age have a higher stress level during the pandemic. Of the respondents, 74.2% of those over the age of 61years were moderately stressed compared to those between 18 and 39 years 51.0%.

Conclusion: There has been an increase in the stress levels of the Jamaican population as a result of COVID-19, with an elevated level in the elderly population compared to young adults.

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Published

2021-09-06

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 2 (2021): International Journal of Humanities & Social Science: Insights & Transformations

Section

Articles