Psychological Distress and Its Correlates Among COVID-19 Survivors During Early Convalescence Across Age Groups

Highlights

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  This study aimed to the psychological distress and the associated predictor factors of the 2019 corona-virus disease (COVID-19) survivors in early recovery stage across ages in Shenzhen, China.

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  The main finding of this study is that the occurrence rate of psychological distress among COVID-19 survivors in early convalescence is dramatically high, with 39(31.0%), 28 (22.2%) and 48(38.1%) of the survivors meeting the clinically diagnosis criteria of stress response, anxiety and depressive mood, respectively. Post-infection physical discomforts and the presence of family members or relatives being infected are significantly associated with more symptoms of stress reponse, anxiety and depression. Good social support and retirement were inversely associated with stress response. Female survivors reported more severe stress response symptoms than males. The survivors aged 60 and above experienced fewer stress response symptoms, fewer emotional symptoms of depression and fewer anxiety symptoms than survivors of other ages.

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  The finding of this study highlights the need to pay special attention to the mental state of COVID-19 survivors. Screening for psychological distress regularly for timely intervention is recommended to all COVID survivors both under quarantine and after quarantine. The predictors indicated by the current study may help to identify those at-high-risk. The current study also contributes to the geriatric psychiatry by indicating the older survivors suffered less emotional reactivity and fewer stress symptoms and anxiety symptoms from infectious diseases than the younger adults.

Abstract

Objective

To examine the psychological distress and the associated predictor factors of the 2019 corona-virus disease (COVID-19) on survivors in the early recovery stage across their ages in Shenzhen.

Method

A survey questionnaire consisting of post-traumatic stress disorder self-rating scale (PTSD-SS), self-rating depression scale (SDS) and self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) was presented to COVID-19 survivors still in quarantine. Demographic variables, sociopsychological variables, medical history, and overall parameters of COVID-19 were collected by telephone interviews and by checking medical records. Scores of each scale and subscale were dependent variables in the statistical analysis using the Mann-Whitney test and stepwise regression analysis.

Results

A total of 126 subjects were included in the study, the mean scores of PTSD-SS, SDS and SAS were 45.5±18.9, 47.3±13.1 and 43.2±10.2 respectively, meanwhile, 9(31.0%), 28 (22.2%), and 48(38.1%) of the survivors met the cut-score for clinical significant symptoms of stress response, anxiety and depression, respectively. Infected family members, and post-infection physical discomforts were significantly associated with scores on all three scales. Social support, retirement, and being female had significant associations with the PTSD-SS score. The survivors aged 60 or above experienced less severe stress response symptoms, fewer emotional symptoms of depression, and fewer anxiety symptoms than younger survivors.

Conclusion

The occurrence rate of psychological distress among the COVID-19 survivors in early convalescence was high, which may improve after the quarantine or may persist and even deteriorate with time as reported in SARS survivors, highlighting the need for all COVID-19 survivors to be screened for psychological distress regularly for timely intervention. The predictors indicated by the current study may help to identify those at high-risk. The current study also contributes to geriatric psychiatry by indicating that the older survivors suffered less emotional reactivity and fewer stress response symptoms from infectious diseases than the younger ones.