Page 131 - Petelin, Ana, ur. 2021. Zdravje starostnikov / Health of the Elderly. Zbornik povzetkov z recenzijo / Book of Abstracts. Koper: Založba Univerze na Primorskem/University of Primorska Press
P. 131
influence of the COVID-19 epidemic on the occurrence psihologija / sociala in zdravje starejših odraslih | psychology / social and health of the elderly
of depressive symptoms in the elderly adults in the reference
dispensary
Tjaša Šarić,1 Karin Kramberger2
1 Zdravstveni dom dr. Adolfa Drolca, Maribor, Slovenia
2 University of Maribor, Faculty of Health Sciences, Maribor, Slovenia
Introduction: Depression is an increasingly common mental disorder that is al-
ready facing more than 264 million people worldwide. The effects of depres-
sion can be long-lasting and recurrent, which greatly affects the quality of life.
The main strategy to combat COVID-19 in most countries around the world is
social distance, which is the main cause of increasing human loneliness, resulting
in depression, especially in the elderly. According to the results of the SI-PAN-
DA study (2021), it was found that 15.8 % of patients with chronic diseases have
increased use of antidepressants not prescribed by a doctor. Certainly, social
distance is an important and effective measure to contain the epidemic, but we
must be aware that it has psychological consequences for people. Throughout
the epidemic, the level of depressive mental health disorder fluctuated in older
adults, but in the 12th wave, according to SI-PANDA (2021), the level of men-
tal disorder decreased.
Methods: In writing the article, we used a descriptive method of reviewing the
literature of Slovenian and foreign research in the field of the impact of the
COVID-19 epidemic on the development of depressive symptoms in the el-
derly. Literature is searched using the COBISS bibliographic system, and lit-
erature is reviewed in foreign databases such as Medline, CINAHL, PubMed,
Wiley, Sicris and EBSCOhost. We searched the literature for the period 2019
to 2021. The key words we used were: covid-19, depressive symptoms, elder-
ly, stress, loneliness.
Results. We found that the elderly are more exposed to risk factors such as
loneliness, stress, and social distance during the COVID-19 epidemic. These
factors are the main triggers for the development of depressive symptoms.
The media have a great influence on the mental health of the elderly, which,
in addition to doing useful work, informing the public, can also have a negative
impact on the public by constantly reporting the spread of the disease and the
number of deaths, which can lead isolated people to despair. However, it also
occurs when people are self-isolated, listless, lonely and forgotten by everyone
for a long time. We will be able to determine for months the consequences of
the COVID-19 epidemic, not only economic, but also psychological, because
everything we experience affects our body and soul.
Discussion and conclusion Upon review foreign research, we found that there
is a correlation between epidemic and epidemiological measures and depres-
sive symptoms, which is in contrast to the Slovenian study (SI-PANDA), which
shows that the presence of these symptoms in the 12th wave of the study de-
creased in all age groups. Generally was lowest in the 65 to 74 age group. De-
pressive symptoms in the initial phase are often not detected in time in half of
the persons, which indicates the need for more effective preventive treatment
in the Reference dispensary of Family Medicine with screening and counseling.
Keywords: COVID-19, depressive symptoms, elderly, stress, loneliness
129
of depressive symptoms in the elderly adults in the reference
dispensary
Tjaša Šarić,1 Karin Kramberger2
1 Zdravstveni dom dr. Adolfa Drolca, Maribor, Slovenia
2 University of Maribor, Faculty of Health Sciences, Maribor, Slovenia
Introduction: Depression is an increasingly common mental disorder that is al-
ready facing more than 264 million people worldwide. The effects of depres-
sion can be long-lasting and recurrent, which greatly affects the quality of life.
The main strategy to combat COVID-19 in most countries around the world is
social distance, which is the main cause of increasing human loneliness, resulting
in depression, especially in the elderly. According to the results of the SI-PAN-
DA study (2021), it was found that 15.8 % of patients with chronic diseases have
increased use of antidepressants not prescribed by a doctor. Certainly, social
distance is an important and effective measure to contain the epidemic, but we
must be aware that it has psychological consequences for people. Throughout
the epidemic, the level of depressive mental health disorder fluctuated in older
adults, but in the 12th wave, according to SI-PANDA (2021), the level of men-
tal disorder decreased.
Methods: In writing the article, we used a descriptive method of reviewing the
literature of Slovenian and foreign research in the field of the impact of the
COVID-19 epidemic on the development of depressive symptoms in the el-
derly. Literature is searched using the COBISS bibliographic system, and lit-
erature is reviewed in foreign databases such as Medline, CINAHL, PubMed,
Wiley, Sicris and EBSCOhost. We searched the literature for the period 2019
to 2021. The key words we used were: covid-19, depressive symptoms, elder-
ly, stress, loneliness.
Results. We found that the elderly are more exposed to risk factors such as
loneliness, stress, and social distance during the COVID-19 epidemic. These
factors are the main triggers for the development of depressive symptoms.
The media have a great influence on the mental health of the elderly, which,
in addition to doing useful work, informing the public, can also have a negative
impact on the public by constantly reporting the spread of the disease and the
number of deaths, which can lead isolated people to despair. However, it also
occurs when people are self-isolated, listless, lonely and forgotten by everyone
for a long time. We will be able to determine for months the consequences of
the COVID-19 epidemic, not only economic, but also psychological, because
everything we experience affects our body and soul.
Discussion and conclusion Upon review foreign research, we found that there
is a correlation between epidemic and epidemiological measures and depres-
sive symptoms, which is in contrast to the Slovenian study (SI-PANDA), which
shows that the presence of these symptoms in the 12th wave of the study de-
creased in all age groups. Generally was lowest in the 65 to 74 age group. De-
pressive symptoms in the initial phase are often not detected in time in half of
the persons, which indicates the need for more effective preventive treatment
in the Reference dispensary of Family Medicine with screening and counseling.
Keywords: COVID-19, depressive symptoms, elderly, stress, loneliness
129
