Association between the COVID-19 infodemic and depression symptom screening in older adults
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1590/1518-8345.7454.4462Keywords:
Infodemic; COVID-19; Health of the Elderly; Mental Health; Depression; Depressive DisorderAbstract
Objective: to analyze the profile of exposure to COVID-19 information and its association with depressive symptom screening in a sample of older adults in Brazil. Method: cross-sectional study using data collected through a web-based survey with 3,307 participants recruited via social media and email. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were conducted to estimate associations of interest, as well as crude and adjusted logistic regression, controlling for predictive, sociodemographic and infodemic variables. Results: a significant association was found between the presence of depression symptoms among older adults who were exposed to social media and television for three to six hours or more and those who reported not having been exposed to any news and information about COVID-19 on television. Conclusion: older women frequently exposed to COVID-19-related information on television and social media for two- to six-hour periods showed depression symptoms. This study contributes to research on infodemics and mental health by addressing a research gap on the relationship between depressive symptom screening and the profile of exposure to COVID-19 information in a sample of older adults.
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