Factors associated with social isolation and loneliness in community-dwelling older adults during pandemic times: a cross-sectional study
Pegorari, Maycon Sousa; Silva, Caroline de Fátima Ribeiro; Araújo, Fabrícia Coelho de; Silva, Juliana de Souza da; Ohara, Daniela Gonçalves; Matos, Alessandro Pena; Matos, Areolino Pena; Pinto, Ana Carolina Pereira Nunes.
Rev. Soc. Bras. Med. Trop
; 54: e01952020, 2021. tab
Artículo
en Inglés
| LILACS | ID: biblio-1288091
Abstract
INTRODUCTION:
Psychosocial aspects need to be discussed in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. Currently, no studies have investigated the factors associated with social isolation and loneliness among community-dwelling older adults. Therefore, this study analyzed the association of social isolation and loneliness with socioeconomic, clinical, and health characteristics, and Covid-19-related variables, among community-dwelling older adults during the pandemic.METHODS:
A cross-sectional study was conducted via a telephone survey of community-dwelling older adults aged ≥60 years in Macapa, Amapa, Brazil. A structured form was used to collect data. Descriptive and inferential analyses were performed using Pearson's correlation test and a linear regression model.RESULTS:
Participants comprised 86 community-dwelling older adults with a mean age of 71.78+6.98 years. Among them, 9.3% were diagnosed with Covid-19, of whom 3.5% were hospitalized. Most participants reported no difficulty obtaining food, medicines, or attending routine medical appointments during the pandemic. Furthermore, 23.3% (n=20) were socially isolated, and 20.9% (n=18) reported feelings of loneliness. The mean values for fear, anxiety, and obsession were 19.01±7.25, 1.01±1.90, and 2.84±3.28, respectively. A moderate positive correlation was identified between loneliness and the number of diseases, and a weak positive correlation between loneliness and the number of medications and depressive symptoms and risk for sarcopenia. The linear regression model indicated that higher loneliness scores were associated with a greater number of diseases (β=0.288; p=0.007).CONCLUSIONS:
The findings suggest a probable resilience of the older population to Covid-19, despite the association of loneliness with many diseases in times of a pandemic.
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