EXPOSURE TO INFORMATION ASSOCIATED WITH STRESS, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION IN OLDER ADULT

Arpasi-Quispe O.; Medina-Bacalla W.J.; Tuesta-Guerra R.L.; Puño-Quispe L.; Fhon J.R.S. · Revista de Psicologia de la Salud (2026) · DOI: 10.21134/pssa.v14i1.7

Resumen

Background: During the pandemic, older adults were exposed to information with the potential to affect their mental health. Objective: To determine the association between stress, anxiety, and depression in older adults and their exposure to COVID-19 related information through the media during the pandemic in the cities Puno-Juliaca, Peru. Method: A quantitative, cross sectional, and analytical study was conducted with 116 older adults using a web-based survey. The instruments included a demographic profile questionnaire, the Perceived Stress Scale, the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory, the Geriatric Depression Scale, and a measure of information exposure, bivariate analyses were performed using the Mann Whitney U test and Spearman's correlation coefficient. Multivariate analysis was conducted using categorial regression model. Results: The mean stress score was 23.03 ± 7.80, the mean anxiety score was 7.14 ± 5.89, and the mean score for depressive symptoms was 5.66 ± 3.45 points. The regression model for stress (R2=0.328, F=6.518, p<0.001) showed a direct association with frequency and duration of information exposure through people in the immediate environment and with place residence, and an inverse association with frequency of exposure to information through the internet and radio. The anxiety model (R2=0.126, F=3.305, p<0.014) identified place of residence as a direct predictor and the number of people living with the participant as an inverse predictor. For depressive symptoms (R2=0.061, F=6.797, p<0.001), an inverse association was observed with the number of people with whom the older adult lives. Conclusions: The duration and frequency of exposure explained stress levels among older adults. likewise, anxiety was explained by the frequency of information exposure through people, along with other sociodemographic variables. No information exposure variables explained depressive symptoms. © (2026), (Universidad Miguel Hernandez). All right reserved.

Instituciones: Universidad Peruana Unión