Depression, anxiety and loneliness in ageing: Dynamics of a trio in times of pandemic COVID-19

• Autor(a) principal: Ramalho, Carolina Alexandra Conceição
• Data de Publicação: 2021
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.6/11352
• topic: Ansiedade; Covid-19; Depressão; Idosos; Solidão; Domínio/Área Científica::Ciências Médicas::Ciências da Saúde::Medicina

Purpose: To assess and analyze the relations between depression, anxiety and loneliness in an elderly population during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal. Methods: Data was collected through telephone interview, between 15 th and 30th April 2020, with elderly people, that had participated in a randomized study in 2012. Results: More than half of the sample demonstrated significant levels of anxiety and 27% showed significant levels of depression. Loneliness, worse health perception, female gender, lower educational attainment and greater functional limitation were associated with higher levels of anxiety. Also, loneliness, living alone, older age and dependence on instrumental activities of daily living were variables associated with higher levels of depression. Over 62% of the participants reported some level of loneliness, with more than half of them reporting worsening of this condition during confinement. Not having a partner/being unmarried and living alone were risk factors for loneliness. Conclusion: Participants had a high percentage of anxiety, depression and loneliness in this study, possibly aggravated by the pandemic and the restrictions imposed. There were several modifiable factors related with these variables. It is necessary to pay special attention not only to the physical but also to the psychological consequences of the pandemic: we need to have a clinically holistic view of the impact of the confinement in the geriatric population, with the inclusion of a psychological assessment, and to promote and adapt populational programs and measures to this age group and to the pandemic period.