A Comparison of Cognitive Performance, Depressive Symptoms, and Incidence of Falls in Brazilian Older Women with and without a Confirmed History of COVID-19

Marcelo de Maio Nascimento (), Naiara de Souza Barros, Josiane Maria Rodrigues Coelho, Ana Beatriz dos Santos Silva, Adriane de Souza Ribeiro, Shákia Thâmara Guedes da Rocha Santos, Astrid Bibiana Rodríguez and Andreas Ihle
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Marcelo de Maio Nascimento: Department of Physical Education, Federal University of Vale do São Francisco, Petrolina 56304-917, Brazil
Naiara de Souza Barros: Department of Medicine, Federal University of Vale do São Francisco, Petrolina 56304-917, Brazil
Josiane Maria Rodrigues Coelho: Department of Psychology, Federal University of Vale do São Francisco, Petrolina 56304-917, Brazil
Ana Beatriz dos Santos Silva: Department of Pharmacy, Federal University of Vale do São Francisco, Petrolina 56304-917, Brazil
Adriane de Souza Ribeiro: Department of Psychology, Federal University of Vale do São Francisco, Petrolina 56304-917, Brazil
Shákia Thâmara Guedes da Rocha Santos: Department of Psychology, Federal University of Vale do São Francisco, Petrolina 56304-917, Brazil
Astrid Bibiana Rodríguez: Department of Physical Education, National Pedagogical University, Bogotá 110221, Colombia
Andreas Ihle: Department of Psychology, University of Geneva, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 18, 1-13

Abstract: The study aimed to compare cognitive performance, depressive symptoms, and the incidence of falls in Brazilian older women with and without a confirmed history of COVID-19. This cross-sectional study included 188 women (60–89 years), divided into two groups: one with a history of COVID-19 (n = 139), and one without any history of COVID-19 (n = 49). The instruments used were the Cognitive Telephone Screening Instrument (COGTEL) test battery, the Trail Making Test (TMT), the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15), and the self-reported history of falls since the beginning of mandatory confinement. The higher the age, the higher the incidence of falls. The highest prevalence of falls (57.1%) occurred in the COVID-19 group ( p = 0.001), the members of which also indicated a better cognitive performance in the COGTEL test ( p = 0.017), TMT-B ( p = 0.004), and ∆TMT (B-A) ( p = 0.004). In turn, the depressive symptoms were more severe in the COVID-19 group ( p < 0.001). We observed that COVID-19 infection without hospitalization did not affect the cognitive performance of older adult women. Future studies should be carried out to monitor the mental health of older adult Brazilian women. Moreover, regardless of their history of COVID-19, older adults should participate in a physical training program focused on preventing falls.

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19 pandemic; women; aging; cognitive functions; depression; vulnerability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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