Browsing by Author "Pinto, Alejandra"
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Publication Factors associated with loneliness in Latin-American family care partners during the COVID-19 pandemic(2024) Leon, Tomas; Tapia-Munoz, Thamara; Slachevsky Chonchol, Andrea; Costa Beber, Bárbara; Aguzzoli, Fernando; Nubia, Carla; Vilar-Compte, Mireya; Gaitan-Rossi, Pablo; Olavarria, Loreto; Castro, Loreto; Pinto, Alejandra; Guajardo, Tania; Grycuk, Emilia; Chen, Yaohua; Iracema Leroi, Iracema; Lawlor, Brian; Duran-Aniotz, Claudia; O’ Sullivan, Roger; Miranda-Castillo, Claudia; International Working GroupBackground: COVID-19-related restrictions led to an increase in overall loneliness and social isolation. Before the pandemic, care partners reported higher levels of loneliness and higher loneliness prevalence compared to non-care partners. Because of the spread and severity of the infections, and the access to support spread, we expect a different impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on LATAM care partners. Objectives: To describe the loneliness levels of LATAM caregivers and to identify socioeconomic and health factors associated. Design: An international online cross-sectional survey for care partners, embedded within the ‘Coping with Loneliness and Isolation during COVID-19’ (CLIC) Study conducted between June 2020– and November 2020. Setting: We analysed data from 246 family care partners living in Latin American countries (46% Mexico, 26% Chile,18% Brazil, and 10% from Argentina, Peru, Venezuela, Panama, Guatemala y Costa Rica). Measurements: We assessed loneliness using the 6-items of De Jong Gierveld loneliness Scale. We described the levels of overall, emotional, and social loneliness pre and during Covid, and reported the distribution of care partners who improved, worsened or maintained their levels of loneliness. Moreover, we used longitudinal multiple linear regression models with bootstraps errors of 1,000 iterations to identify factors associated with the levels of overall, emotional, and social loneliness during the pandemic. Results: Participants were mostly women, 50 years and older, in a partnership, highly educated and with finances meeting their needs, with good to excellent physical and mental health. Among the total of care partners, 55% perceived higher overall loneliness, 56% higher emotional loneliness, and 21% higher social loneliness during the pandemic in comparison with pre-COVID-19 levels. Perceived mental health was associated with the overall, emotional, and social loneliness. Conclusions: Regardless of their living and health situation, during the pandemic, loneliness increased in all groups of care partners. These should be taken in consideration when planning public health approaches for crises such as pandemics or other large-scale disruptive events.Publication Impact of the Pandemic Time on the Mental Health of People with Dementia and Their Family Caregivers in Brazil and Chile: One-Year Follow-Up(2024) Olavarría, Loreto; Caramelli, Paulo; Lema, José; Bezerra, Caíssa; Pinto, Alejandra; Dos Santos, Lílian; Thumala, Daniela; Santos, Maria; Peredo, Adriana; Barroso, Alana; Carvalho, Karoline; Sepúlveda, Walter; Cardoso, Ludmilla; Tonidandel, Maira; Slachevsky Chonchol, AndreaBackground: Previous studies reported the negative impact of social isolation on mental health in people with dementia (PwD) and their caregivers, butlongitudinal studies seem scarcer. Objective: To describe a one-year follow-up impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on PwD and their caregivers in both Brazil and Chile. Methods: This study analyzed the impact of the pandemic on the psychological and physical health of PwD and their family caregivers after one year of follow-up in three outpatient clinics in Brazil (n = 68) and Chile (n = 61). Results: In both countries, PwD reduced their functional capacity after one year of follow-up (p = 0.017 and p = 0.009; respectively) and caregivers reported worse physical and mental health (p = 0.028 and p = 0.039). Only in Chile, caregivers reported more sadness associated with care (p = 0.001), and reduced time sleeping (p = 0.07). Conclusions: In conclusion, the COVID-19 pandemic appears to have had a long-lasting impact on PwD and their caregivers. However, it is essential to acknowledge that the inherent progression of dementia itself may also influence changes observed over a year.