Kami, Geire (Gigi) (2020) Examining the Impacts of COVID-19 on the Social Lives of Older Australians. Honours thesis, University of Southern Queensland. (Unpublished)
Abstract
Social needs are fundamental needs which have been shown to have a powerful and positive effect at all stages of life. Older people are at particular risk of negative health outcomes when their social needs are unmet. During the initial outbreak of COVID-19 in Australia, older people were identified as being some of the most vulnerable people in the community, and were encouraged to stay at home or risk infection. Given COVID-19 social restrictions and the vulnerabilities of older people, this cross-sectional qualitative research aimed to explore the social lives of older adults prior to, and during, state imposed social-distancing. Fourteen participants between the ages of 70 and 90 took part in semi-structured interviews, which were conducted via telephone, and analysed using thematic analysis. Two main themes, and five sub-themes, were identified: (1) Informal socialising (family/friends, neighbours, and community) and (2) Formal social activities (organised groups, and voluntarism). Older people’s social connections offered them feelings of safety and belonging, which provided a protective buffer during the social restrictions of COVID-19. Despite being among of the most vulnerable people in the community, the older adults in this study maintained their social connections and developed creative solutions to cope with a loss of face-to-face contact. During COVID-19 these older adults showed persistence and flexibility in addressing their social needs, using methods of communication such as the telephone, handwritten correspondence, and newsletters.
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| Item Type: | Thesis (Non-Research) (Honours) |
|---|---|
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Current UniSQ staff and students can request access to this thesis. Please email research.repository@unisq.edu.au with a subject line of SEAR thesis request and provide: Name of the thesis requested and Your name and UniSQ email address |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Historic - Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences - School of Psychology and Counselling (1 Jan 2015 - 31 Dec 2021) |
| Supervisors: | Tanya Machin; Lorelle Burton |
| Qualification: | Bachelor of Science (Honours) |
| Date Deposited: | 29 Aug 2025 04:25 |
| Last Modified: | 29 Aug 2025 04:25 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Older people; social connection; COVID-19; outer-regional Western Australia; |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1799 Other Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 179999 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences not elsewhere classified |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5299 Other psychology > 529999 Other psychology not elsewhere classified |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/52454 |
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