Aspectos cognitivos e emocionais de idosos usuários e não usuários da Internet

Abstract

With the growth of the elderly population, there is also an increase in cases of illness and syndromes more prevalent in this phase of life. This increases the importance of promoting projects and initiatives aimed at healthy aging. The general objective of this dissertation was to investigate the cognitive and emotional aspects of elderly users and non-internet users. This goal was achieved through three studies, one theoretical and two empirical. Study 1 is an integrative review of the literature that aimed to know the cognitive and emotional repercussions of internet use in the lives of elderly people. The searches were carried out in PubMed, PsycINFO, MedLine and SciELO databases, in December 2018. A total of 21 articles were analyzed, based on pre-established inclusion and exclusion criteria. It has been shown that elderly Internet users tend to present better cognitive performance. Older Internet users have also been shown to have lower rates of depressive symptoms. But the elderly were more vulnerable to risk and fraud. Study 2 aimed to evaluate cognitive and emotional aspects of elderly users and non-internet users. A total of 107 community-based elderly (67 internet users and 40 non-users) participated in the study. For the evaluation of the variables of interest we used a sociodemographic and life habits questionnaire, Miniexame of mental state, List of words, Complex Figures of Rey, Test Five Digits, MACQ, Geriatric Depression Scale, Brazilian Scale of Solitude and Scale Geriatric Anxiety. The main results show that both elderly users and non internet users presented similar profiles when some habits and living conditions, among them, retired status, positive self-perception of mental health, presence of health problems, use of medication , non-use of cigarettes and alcohol, hours of sleep, quality of food and presence of memory complaints. Among the elderly internet users, there was a predominance of younger people with higher schooling and higher income. In addition, elderly internet users had better cognitive performance and lower rates of depressive symptoms. Study 3 aimed to investigate factors associated with depression, anxiety, loneliness and mild cognitive impairment in the elderly, identifying if the use of the Internet interferes with these events. A total of 106 healthy community-based elders participated in the study. For data collection, a sociodemographic and life habits questionnaire was used, Memory Complaint Questionnaire, Geriatric Depression Scale, Brazilian Solitude Scale, Geriatric Anxiety Inventory, and a Mild Cognitive Impairment variable. Data were analyzed using binary logistic regression. The factors associated with the dependent variables have different natures, demonstrating that the changes caused in the aging process permeate the biopsychosocial dimensions. The use of the Internet appeared as a protective factor for the development of CCL, while not using the Internet has shown to increase the chance of developing depression, but to act as a protective factor for solitude, showing the relevance of the internet when studying the cognitive and emotional aspects of the elderly.