Psychological Demands of Elderly and Intermediate Adults Treated at a School-Clinic

Abstract

Due to population aging and the need to meet the specific demands of this population, there is a need to expand studies aiming to identify the real emotional needs of elderly and intermediate adults. Thus, the objective of this study was to characterize the psychological demands of people aged 50 and over who came to the Psychology School Clinic at the Federal University of Pará (UFPA) between 2010 and 2019. Documentary research was carried out on the clinic's consultation records, analyzing medical records of clients aged 50+. As a result, 53 late/older adults were seen in a 10-year period; the identified profile is of women, native to Belém/PA, married/stable union, with completed high school education and working outside home. Regarding emotional demands, 12 categories of complaints were identified, with a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms (19 cases), anxiety symptoms (15 cases) and family conflicts (13 cases). The data shows that the intermediate adult, and especially the elderly, is absent from psychological care facilities when compared to other age groups, presenting critical demands and lacking specialized clinical care focused on Psychogerontology.