Association between the COVID-19 infodemic and depression symptom screening in older adults.
Patricia Rodrigues Braz, Tiago Ricardo Moreira, Andréia Queiroz Ribeiro and 7 others
PMID 40396839WHAT IT FOUND
Depression symptom screening in 3,307 Brazilian older adults was linked to COVID-19 media exposure, but after accounting for background factors, those with frequent television or radio, or two to five hours social media, were less likely to screen positive than no exposure.
Key findings
01The study reported significant associations between depression symptom screening and frequency of television exposure (P = 0.01), hours of social media exposure (P = 0.00), and hours of television exposure (P = 0.02).
02After adjustment, frequent television exposure (OR 0.81), frequent radio exposure (OR 0.74), and social media use for two to five hours (OR 0.68) were associated with lower likelihood of screening positive than no exposure.
03The paper's conclusion describes frequent exposure as associated with depression, but the adjusted logistic table shows odds ratios below 1 for several exposure categories.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study is cross-sectional, so it cannot show that media exposure caused depression symptoms. The authors note reverse causality: depression may lead to more media use as distraction. Data were collected with a web-based survey, which excluded older adults without internet, social media or phone access and may have created sampling bias. Recruitment was non-probabilistic and used snowball sampling, so the sample may not represent all Brazilian older adults. Depression was measured by screening with the Geriatric Depression Scale, not by clinical diagnosis. The article text and Table 1 disagree about whether most participants were women or men, so gender statements need caution. The conclusion describes frequent exposure as associated with depression, while the adjusted logistic table shows odds ratios below 1 for several exposure categories.
Declared interests
Supported by CNPq and Intercâmbio de Produtividade em Pesquisa grants. The paper is extracted from a doctoral dissertation. No commercial sponsor or author conflicts are reported.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that limiting news exposure prevents depression. The study is cross-sectional, several adjusted associations were in the opposite direction, and the authors note reverse causality.