Emotional profile of people enrolled in virtual physical practices during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic had impacts not only on physical health. The fear and uncertainty caused may have impacted the emotional aspects of the population. Objective: To describe the emotional profile of people enrolled in virtual physical practices during the pandemic, associating this profile with age and education. Methods: Cross-sectional study was part of an extension project entitled: ATIVA IDADE. After registration, volunteers received a link with the Anxiety, Stress and Depression Scale (DASS-21). Using means, standard deviations and correlations, sociodemographic characteristics and DASS-21 results were described. Results: Of 178 registrants, 58 responded to DASS-21. The majority of participants were women over 50 years old. There was interference between age and DASS-21 scores, with higher subitem averages being observed in people between 20 and 59 years old. Despite the difference in means, the subitems were classified as normal or mild changes. There was a significant difference for age and stress (p=0.05) as well as a moderate correlation between these variables (r= -.33). Conclusion: The period of social isolation seems to have impacted the emotional variables of young people and adults with different intensities. The offer of asynchronous and virtual activities involving physical and cognitive aspects is a strategy for coping with situations of social isolation with limitations, as it only reached a specific portion of the population.

Keywords: physical exercise, DASS-21, virtual, emotion.