Perceived Anxiousness about COVID-19 and Preventive Behaviors among Dyads of Older Adults and Family Caregivers

The Gerontologist Adopting preventive behaviors is crucial to avoiding COVID-19 infection, and perceived anxiousness may influence such behaviors among older adults and their caregivers. This study investigated the relationships between perceived anxiousness about COVID-19 and preventive behaviors in older adult-caregiver dyads. A cross-sectional study was conducted using 1565 older adult-caregiver dyads from the 2020 NHATS/NSOC COVID-19 Supplements data. Actor-Partner Interdependence Models (APIM) were estimated to examine the associations between older adults’ and family caregivers’ perceived anxiousness about COVID-19 and their engagement in personal (e.g., wearing masks, washing hands) and social (e.g., avoiding contact with friends, limiting grocery shopping) preventive behaviors. Separate models were estimated based on older adults’ dementia status.

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