Article by Javiera Rosell, MICARE postdoctoral researcher, and Álvaro Vergés

This publication seeks to find a relationship between the discriminatory attitude called ageism and loneliness with the damage that occurs in the mental health of older people using the case of Chile as a sample. A total of 577 elderly people were studied for the sample, and direct and indirect incidence factors were evaluated.

Main findings:

The publication highlights that there is a relationship between loneliness in contexts of highly ageist societies and the symptoms of depression and anxiety. The case of Chile during the COVID-19 pandemic is defined as a highly ageist context, since the public policies that were established took definitions that excluded older people from public activities. As an example of the above, the exclusive quarantines for people over 80 years of age are discussed, or the policies of permits to make purchases that made it difficult for that same demographic to leave the house.