Brazilian Elderly Population and COVID-19
challenges, impacts and the role of spirituality in mental health
Keywords:
Health of the elderly, Spirituality, COVID-19 virusAbstract
Objective: The objective of this study is to analyze the challenges faced by the elderly population arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, associated with the role of spirituality as a protective factor in this context. The methodology was based on a qualitative, cross-sectional, observational study that used semi-structured interviews to collect data on the perceptions of Brazilian older adults, whether infected or not by SARS-CoV-2, regarding aging, fear of death, the pandemic, religion, and mental health. The results were based on an analysis of 171 respondents, most of whom were female. A large proportion of participants reported difficulties during the pandemic period, but religious involvement appeared positively, associated with indicators such as life satisfaction, happiness, and good physical and mental health.
References
Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE). Cidades@: Distrito Federal – Pesquisa Censo Sinopse [Internet]. 2010 [cited 2025 Sep 8]. Available from: https://cidades.ibge.gov.br/brasil/df/pesquisa/23/25207?tipo=ranking&indicador=25186&ano=2010
World Health Organization (WHO). Constitution of the World Health Organization [Internet]. 1946 [cited 2025 Sep 8]. Available from: https://www.who.int/governance/eb/who_constitution_en.pdf
Levy BR. Mind matters: Cognitive and physical effects of aging self-stereotypes. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci [Internet]. 2003;58(4):203–11. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Mind+Matters%3A+Cognitive+and+Physical+Effects+of+Aging+Self-Stereotypes
Nkire N, Nwachukwu I, Shalaby R, Hrabok M, Vuong W, Gusnowski A, et al. COVID-19 pandemic: Demographic predictors of self-isolation or self-quarantine and impact on stress, anxiety, and depression. Front Psychiatry [Internet]. 2021;12:553468. Available from: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.553468/full
Mahamid FA, Bdier D. The association between positive religious coping, perceived stress, and depressive symptoms during the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) among a sample of adults in Palestine: A cross-sectional study. J Relig Health [Internet]. 2021;60(1):34–49. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32705536/
Dolcos F, Hohl K, Hu Y, Manoco D, Dolcos S. Religiosity and resilience: Cognitive reappraisal and coping self-efficacy mediate the link between religious coping and well-being. J Relig Health [Internet]. 2021;60(4):2892–905. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34091858/
Wu Z, McGoogan JM. Characteristics of and important lessons from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in China: Summary of a report of 72 314 cases from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. JAMA [Internet]. 2020;323(13):1239–42. Available from: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2762130
Banerjee D. Age and ageism in COVID-19: Elderly mental health-care vulnerabilities and needs. Asian J Psychiatr [Internet]. 2020;51:102154. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34167896/
Pirutinsky S, Cherniak AD, Rosmarin DH. COVID-19, religious coping, and weight change in the Orthodox Jewish community. J Relig Health [Internet]. 2021;60(2):646–53. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33611679/
Peteet JR, Balboni MJ, Balboni TA. Integrating spirituality into the care of older adults. Int Psychogeriatr [Internet]. 2019;31(1):31–8. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29991378/
Pantell M, Rehkopf D, Jutte D, Syme SL, Balmes J, Adler N. Social isolation: A predictor of mortality comparable to traditional clinical risk factors. Am J Public Health [Internet]. 2013;103(11):2056–62. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24028260/
Valtorta NK, Kanaan M, Gilbody S, Ronzi S, Hanratty B. Loneliness, social isolation and risk of cardiovascular disease in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Eur J Prev Cardiol [Internet]. 2018;25(13):1387–96. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29754528/
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Revista de Divulgação Científica Sena Aires

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
-
Atribuição — Você deve dar o crédito apropriado, prover um link para a licença e indicar se mudanças foram feitas. Você deve fazê-lo em qualquer circunstância razoável, mas de nenhuma maneira que sugira que o licenciante apoia você ou o seu uso.
- Sem restrições adicionais — Você não pode aplicar termos jurídicos ou medidas de caráter tecnológico que restrinjam legalmente outros de fazerem algo que a licença permita.
