Covid-19 no contexto do idoso: representações sociais, qualidade de vida e saúde mental a partir de diferentes marcadores sociais

Abstract

This dissertation investigated the quality of life and mental health of the elderly regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. The quality of life and mental health of the elderly are interdependent, as mental health directly affects the quality of life and well-being of the elderly. A good quality of life involves a combination of physical, emotional, social, and spiritual aspects. Mental health is an important component of quality of life and affects the elderly's ability to perform daily activities, maintain healthy relationships, and enjoy their later years. The framework for this investigation was based on the approach of Social Representations Theory (SRT), which considers a social representation as something that goes beyond formulations of concepts about a certain fact but involves behaviors grounded in individual and collective social experiences, a set of concepts constructed in the face of a social phenomenon. Thus, this dissertation aimed to identify the impacts of COVID-19 on the quality of life and mental health of the elderly in different social markers during the pandemic. Structurally, it was divided into two parts, the first consisting of theoretical chapters, and the second composed of two empirical studies. In the first part, a systematic review of Social Representations Theory (SRT) and the theme of COVID-19 was conducted, gathering knowledge to support the studies in question. In the second part, the first article aimed to characterize the sociodemographic profile of the social actors in the study and grasp the social representations elaborated by the elderly group regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. This field study, of an exploratory nature, used a "Snowball" non-probabilistic sampling strategy. The research involved the participation of 43 elderly individuals, comprising 14 women and 29 men. Data collection instruments included a sociodemographic questionnaire and a semi-structured interview, processed using Microsoft Excel with the SPSS (21.0) software and the Alceste software. The data were analyzed through hierarchical descending classification (HDC) and word cloud. The shared social representations elaborated by the elderly, outlining meanings related to COVID-19, their perceptions of the pandemic experience, and attitudes toward vaccination, emerged as relevant elements for the formulation of preventive strategies. In the second study, the objectives were to measure the domains of quality of life of the study participants, identify the mental health indices of the elderly participants, and compare the levels of quality of life and mental health in the elderly group in relation to gender. Data collection was conducted through sociodemographic questionnaires, the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), and the WHOQOL-OLD scale. The sample of 86 elderly individuals, predominantly male, revealed a male preference, with an age range between 60 and 65 years, predominantly married, with higher education, and religious affiliation, mainly Catholic. Comparative gender analyses indicated that men had a higher quality of life than women in the dimensions of "Autonomy," "Past, present, and future activities," "Social participation," and "Overall quality of life." The findings indicate that, despite the social limitations imposed by the pandemic, the elderly have a positive perception of their quality of life and mental health. This research may provide valuable insights for the design of strategies aimed at preserving the quality of life and mental health of this elderly population during periods of public health crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.