Complicated grief and its relationship with anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation in older adults in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru: a cross-sectional analysis

Background: Complicated grief (CG) resulting from poor adaptation to the death of a close person may have been related with the presence of other mental health problems in older adults in Peru during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our study aimed to assess the association between CG and anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation in older adults in Peru in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis using data from the “Socioemotional evaluation form” applied in 2020 to mental health problems in older adults attending the Peruvian Social Security (EsSalud). For our study, we included older adults who reported the death of a close person during the last six months when this assessment was performed. CG, depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation were initially evaluated using validated questionnaires. The association between CG and the presence of mental health problems was calculated through multivariate analysis, where prevalence ratios (PR) were estimated with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: Of the 249 older adults included, 175 (70.3%) were female with a median age of 71 years (interquartile range: 9), and 35 (14.1%) reported the presence of CG. It was found that CG in this population was associated with the presence of anxiety (PR: 1.35, 95% CI: 0.98 to 1.85), depression (PR: 1.44, 95% CI: 1.06 to 1.95), and suicidal ideation (PR: 2.84, 95% CI: 1.06 to 7.59). Conclusions: CG is related to the presence of mental health problems in older adults in Peru. It is essential to implement measures that facilitate the prevention and proper management of this condition in this population, especially in the context of high population mortality such as the COVID-19 pandemic.