Infodemic of covid-19 and repercussions on the mental health of the elderly from São Paulo

OBJECTIVE: To characterize and identify depressive symptoms, anxiety, and stress associated with the COVID-19 Infodemic in the elderly from São Paulo. METHOD: Exploratory and cross-sectional study with the elderly in the capital of São Paulo who had internet access. The sociodemographic profile, the COVID-19 infodemic, depressive symptoms, stress, and anxiety were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 411 older people participated in the study. There was a predominance of women (76.4%), with higher education (57.9%), using private health services, and with little income variation. Older people were more exposed to news or information about COVID-19 on the internet (45.3%), followed by television (34.5%), and radio (11.4%). The average stress was 19.96 points; 33.1% had anxiety, and 39.7% had depressive symptoms. The greater the number of people living with the elderly, the greater the stress (p = 0.001) and anxiety (p = 0.02). The hours of exposure to information on the internet led to stress (p = 0.001), depressive symptoms (p = 0.02), and anxiety (p = 0.02) in the elderly. CONCLUSION: During the pandemic, exposure to information on the internet triggered anxiety, stress, and depressive symptoms in the elderly. The findings highlight the need for multi and interdisciplinary interventions to mitigate such repercussions on the elderly’s health.