SOCIAL REPRESENTATIONS OF OLDER BRAZILIAN PEOPLE ABOUT COVID-19

Given the increase in the elderly population in Brazil and the significant damage caused by the health crisis caused by Covid-19, elderly people suffered during the pandemic and continue to suffer in the post-pandemic with the impacts of the disease. In that way, using the theoretical-methodological tool of Social Representations (SR) becomes useful in different groups and contexts, including among elderly people who have been greatly affected by Covid-19. The aim was therefore to understand the SRs about Covid-19 among elderly Brazilians. The dissemination of the research and the recruitment of participants occurred mainly through social media (Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) by sharing digital flyers containing information and a call for participation. This is a qualitative, exploratory and descriptive study using cross-sectional data. It involved 300 elderly people in the ages between 60 and 86 living in Brazil. The majority were female (67.4%), heterosexual (98%), married (52%), with a family income between 1 and 2 minimum wages (37.2%) and retired (82.4%). The data collection instruments included: (I) a Sociodemographic Questionnaire (SQ) and (II) a semi-structured interview. The data were analyzed using SPSS software version 30.0.0 to characterize the participants for instrument I and IRaMuTeQ software version 0.8 for instrument II, employing Descending Hierarchical Classification (DHC) and Word Cloud analysis. The results indicated that SR related to COVID-19 primarily refer to meaning attribution and clarification regarding the disease, feelings of fear, loneliness, and uncertainty, health vulnerability, governmental neglect, and, finally, a sense of collective mourning due to the high number of deaths. It is concluded that the study achieved its objective, as it was possible to access the SR and discuss the attitudes of elderly individuals regarding COVID-19. This research aims to contribute to the development of new public policies that address their specific needs by promoting digital inclusion, psychosocial support, and accessible and effective communication campaigns tailored to this population. These efforts seek to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 and improve healthcare preparedness for potential future health crises.