SOLIDÃO EM ADULTOS DE MEIA IDADE E PESSOAS IDOSAS DURANTE E APÓS PANDEMIA DE COVID-19: UM ESTUDO LONGITUDINAL

Abstract

Loneliness exacerbated by the aging process and worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic, emerges as a global concern, highlighting the urgent need to address the emotional well-being of the most vulnerable and recognizing its significant health implications, associated with an increase in morbidity and mortality. In this context, the proposed study aims to evaluate the factors associated with loneliness in middle-aged adults and elderly people registered in Family Health Units in the municipality of Três Lagoas/MS, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a longitudinal, prospective and analytical study, covering middle-aged adults (≥45 years) and people (≥60 years). The baseline sample was convenience, according to the maximum number of people who were approached between February and December 2021 (n=215). Everyone was contacted and invited to participate in the follow-up assessments (i.e., first wave), which took place between February and July 2023. The questionnaire is composed of sociodemographic, health, behavioral variables, social support network and the Brazilian Loneliness Scale UCLA. Multinomial regression models were then estimated, with loneliness being the dependent variable, which was categorized into 4 groups, as follows: 1) minimal loneliness in both assessments (maintained well); 2) mild to intense loneliness in the first assessment and minimal loneliness in the second assessment (improved); 3) minimal loneliness in the first assessment and mild to intense loneliness in the second assessment (worsened); and 4) mild to intense loneliness in both assessments (kept worse). In the multiple model, variables that presented p