Social Representations of COVID-19 Among Brazilian Elderly Women: A Structural Approach

• Autores: Cardoso Ferreira, Alda Vanessa, Fernandes de Araújo, Ludgleydson, de Sousa Barros Neto, Raimundo Nonato
• Formato: artículo
• Fecha de Publicación: 2022
• Institución: Universidad de San Martín de Porres
• Repositorio: Liberabit
• Lenguaje: inglés; español
• OAI Identifier: oai:ojs2.ojs3.revistaliberabit.com:article/617
• Enlace del recurso: http://www.revistaliberabit.com/index.php/Liberabit/article/view/617
• Nivel de acceso: acceso abierto
• Materia: representaciones sociales; abordaje estructural; COVID-19; pandemia; mujeres adultas mayores

Background: In January 2020, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) «a public health emergency of international concern» owing to the detection of cases and the rapid spread of the disease. Objective: This study aimed at understanding the social representations of COVID-19 among Brazilian elderly women. Method: A total of 100 elderly women selected by convenience sampling, with an average age of 69.24 years old (SD = 6.58), participated in the study. Data were collected online using a sociodemographic questionnaire and a free word association test (FWAT) with the stimulus word «COVID-19.» The responses were examined by prototypical analysis through IRaMuTeQ. Results: The social representations of COVID-19 emphasize death and fear of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Elements associated with measures to contain the virus are also part of the representational field. Conclusions: Understanding social representations of COVID-19 in elderly women may contribute to short- and long-term interventions to reduce the psychosocial consequences of COVID-19 in this age group.