Applicability of the Theory of Unpleasant Symptoms to the population of older men with COVID-19 in Brazil

Abstract

Abstract Objective To analyze clusters of unpleasant symptoms in older men with the COVID-19 pandemic/syndemic. Method A qualitative, multicenter study was carried out between March 2021 and April 2022, in which 94 older men who answered an online form participated. The data were processed and coded with the support of the NVIVO software, analyzed by the Collective Subject Discourse technique, and applied the Theory of Unpleasant Symptoms to interpret results. Results Men between 60 and 88 participated; most self-declared heterosexual and white. The pandemic scenario and social isolation were considered situational influencing factors for different dimensions of symptoms and, as a performance for the experience of living the symptoms, remote medical consultations by Telemedicine, virtual affective interactions, and consumption of pornography on erotic websites. Conclusions and implications for practice Syndemic exposure to COVID-19 triggered clusters of unpleasant symptoms, of a biopsychosocial nature, in the health of elderly Brazilian men, which requires management by Nursing.