Infodemic of covid-19 and repercussions on the mental health of the elderly from São Paulo.
Jack Roberto Silva Fhon, Vilanice Alves de Araújo Püschel, Ricardo Bezerra Cavalcante and 4 others
PMID 35994688WHAT IT FOUND
More hours online for pandemic news was linked to greater stress, anxiety and depressive symptoms among 411 older people in São Paulo.
Living with more people was also linked to stress and anxiety.
Key findings
01In 411 older people in São Paulo, 33.1% had anxiety and 39.7% had depressive symptoms, with average perceived stress 19.96 points.
02More hours of exposure to internet news were associated with greater stress, depressive symptoms and anxiety.
03A greater number of people living with the older person was associated with greater stress and anxiety.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample was recruited online through social media and a virtual snowball technique, so it may overrepresent older people who are more educated, better resourced and digitally connected. It was cross-sectional, so it cannot show that internet news exposure caused stress, anxiety or depressive symptoms. The stress scale has no suggested cut-off, so the average score is not a threshold for impairment. Outcomes were self-reported, and incomplete responses were excluded, which may bias who participated.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that internet news exposure caused stress, anxiety or depression, or that limiting internet use will improve them. The study measured both at one time in an online snowball sample, so it cannot separate cause and effect.