Cognitive performance and depression symptoms in older adults during the covid-19 pandemic

Background: COVID-19 has impacted the daily life of older adults, originating symptoms of depression which might influence cognitive performance. There is a need thus for papers which document such relations. Objective: Investigate the presence of depression symptoms in older adults and their relations to cognitive performance in the pandemic framework. Methods: Cross-sectional study in which the Brazilian telephone version of the Mini Mental State Examination (Braztel-MMSE) and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS15) were employed, as well as a question which examined the perception of changes in mood and anxiety due to the pandemic. Results: The analyzed sample was comprised of 428 older adults with an average age of 67.54±5.65 years and average education level of 14.72±3.54 years. The average score of Braztel-MMSE was 20.24±1.49 and that of GDS15 was 3.39±4.00. The Spearman correlation coefficient was a significant rho= -0.10 (p=0.034). 71% of those surveyed noticed mood and/ or anxiety changes and only those showed a significant correlation between Braztel-MMSE and GDS15 of rho= -0.17 (p=0.003). Conclusion: Results show an association between depression symptoms and cognitive performance. Such an association has been more evident when analyzing changes in mood and/ or anxiety during the pandemic. Such findings contribute to the planning of services and public policies to older adults in the current framework.