Factors Associated with Loneliness and Psychological Distress in Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Kazakhstan: A Cross-Sectional Study

<i>Background and Objectives:</i> In Kazakhstan, during the COVID-19 pandemic, older adults faced unique challenges, such as limited healthcare resources and prolonged periods of social isolation. The aim of our study was to evaluate the sociodemographic and health-related factors associated with loneliness and psychological distress in older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic in Kazakhstan. <i>Materials and Methods:</i> In this cross-sectional study, a total of 445 participants aged 60 and above were recruited from Kazakhstan during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) was used to measure psychological distress, anxiety, and depression. Loneliness was assessed using the UCLA Loneliness Scale (UCLA-3). The sociodemographic and health-related variables of the tested participants were analyzed. <i>Results:</i> Mean values from the UCLA-3 (<i>p</i> < 0.001), PHQ-4 (<i>p</i> < 0.001), anxiety (<i>p</i> < 0.001), and depression (<i>p</i> < 0.001) scores significantly differed between different categories of self-reported overall health. Significantly higher mean values were found in older adults with hypertension for UCLA-3 (<i>p</i> = 0.025), PHQ-4 (<i>p</i> = 0.001), anxiety (<i>p</i> = 0.001), and depression (<i>p</i> = 0.017); diabetes for UCLA-3 (<i>p</i> = 0.023), PHQ-4 (<i>p</i> = 0.029), and depression (<i>p</i> = 0.001); chronic heart failure for UCLA-3 (<i>p</i> = 0.005), PHQ-4 (<i>p</i> < 0.001), anxiety (<i>p</i> = 0.001), and depression (<i>p</i> < 0.001); cerebrovascular disease for UCLA-3 (<i>p</i> = 0.024), PHQ-4 (<i>p</i> = 0.002), anxiety (<i>p</i> = 0.001), and depression (<i>p</i> = 0.027); cardiovascular disease for UCLA-3 (<i>p</i> < 0.001), PHQ-4 (<i>p</i> < 0.001), anxiety (<i>p</i> < 0.001), and depression (<i>p</i> < 0.001); dementia for anxiety (<i>p</i> = 0.046); being single for UCLA-3 (<i>p</i> = 0.009), PHQ-4 (<i>p</i> = 0.031), and depression (<i>p</i> = 0.028); other ethnic backgrounds for PHQ-4 (<i>p</i> = 0.004) and anxiety (<i>p</i> = 0.013); and living in an urban place for PHQ-4 (<i>p</i> = 0.043). Being single was shown to be a significant predictor for loneliness (OR 2.21; 95%CI 1.28-3.84), anxiety (OR 2.09; 95%CI 1.14-3.84), and depression (OR 4.23; 95%CI 1.95-9.15). Below-average (OR 5.79; 95%CI 1.09-30.90) self-reported overall health was shown to be a significant predictor of anxiety. <i>Conclusions</i>: Our study demonstrated that numerous sociodemographic and health-related factors were associated with loneliness, anxiety, and depression in older adults from Kazakhstan during the COVID-19 pandemic.