Online group intervention with the elderly: mental health care in the context of a pandemic

Abstract

The research evaluated the effects of both a group and an online psychological interventions with the elderly on their depression levels in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The design was quasi-experimental, with additional qualitative analyzes. Five elderly men and women, between 63 and 77 years old, living in the city of Rio de Janeiro were the participants of the study. The Brazilian version of the Geriatric Depression Scale was applied before the implementation of a psychological intervention group, with reapplication of the instrument after ten meetings based on the phenomenological-existential perspective. The general average results showed a decrease in depression measures, but the differences were not statistically significant. However, analyzes of individual processes and the particularities of the pandemic context allowed a better understanding of the results obtained, indicating that the intervention acted as a protector of the participants' mental health. The study made it possible to offer a model for group psychological care for elderly people in situations of health crisis