Reações desenvolvidas por pessoas idosas no contexto da infodemia de COVID-19

Abstract

Objective: To understand the physical and psychological reactions of elderly people related to the COVID19 infodemic. Method: single case study with a qualitative and exploratory approach, guided by Lazarus and Folkman's Stress and Coping Theory. 30 elderly people who lived in the municipality of Juiz de Fora were included in the research. Data were collected between August 2021 and May 2022, through semistructured interviews, audio recorded and subjected to thematic content analysis. Results: of the 30 participants, 21 were women and nine were men. From the data analysis, two categories emerged which show the meanings of the Covid-19 infodemic for elderly people and the events resulting from the primary assessment. The analysis made it possible to understand that the infodemic can be a stressful event in the form of loss, threat and challenge. Participants also evaluated the infodemic as an irrelevant event that did not cause them any reaction of fear and concern, as well as evaluating it as a benign event contributing to their well-being when associated with biosafety information. Conclusion: the constant volume of news and information can be emotionally overwhelming for older people, especially when the news involves political issues, death and hospitalization. However, the infodemic can be experienced as an irrelevant or benign phenomenon, considering that these can also be self-protection strategies in the face of adverse circumstances. The infodemic phenomenon perceived as irrelevant or benign can also be justified by the experiences experienced by elderly people throughout their lives.