Psychological distress in adults with and without cystic fibrosis during the COVID-19 lockdown

Abstract

Background: Hundreds of papers have been published on the COVID-19 pandemic, and several of them on psychological themes connected with it, but very little is so far known on how adult patients with Cystic Fibrosis (pwCFs) are coping with this dramatic event.Methods: An online questionnaire was developed according to the Italian validated COVID-19 Peritraumatic Distress Index (CPDI) and addressed to the general population (GP). A similar questionnaire, augmented with CF specific questions, targeted pwCFs. The two web-based surveys were accessible for some weeks during the lockdown mandated by the Italian government. Results:The CF questionnaire was completed by 712 adult pwCFs (422 females), matched for sex and age with a 1/5 ratio to GP questionnaire respondents. Mild or medium distress affected 40.2% of pwCFs and 43.9% of GP controls, severe distress 5.3% of pwCFs and 6.2% of GP controls. The level of psychological distress was not correlated with the degree of pulmonary function impairment. When symptoms of anxiety and depression, and physical manifestations were independently analyzed, the control group featured a 55% higher level of mild-moderate anxiety symptoms. Signs of psychological distress, symptoms of anxiety and depression, and physical manifestations were significantly more frequent in female pwCFs compared to males, similarly to GP. Conclusion:Adult pwCFs seem to have equal, and in some domains, lower levels of psychological distress than GP controls. This might be sustained by lifelong experiences in coping with the demands of their chronic disease. These results may orient future psychological interventions.

Burnout in Intensive Care Unit Workers during the Second Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Single Center Cross-Sectional Italian Study

“…Based on recent expertise during the pandemic [ 21 , 22 ], the survey was organized and managed according to previous methods used in survey studies by the authors. The present study aimed to investigate the psychological impact of the pandemic on front-line staff working at the new COVID-19 ward at Milano Fiera, Lombardy during the second pandemic wave.…”

Psychological interventions during COVID pandemic: Telehealth for individuals with cystic fibrosis and caregivers

“…As Italy became a COVID‐19 “hot spot,” concerns about the psychological functioning of pwCF increased. In a large study in Italy, an online questionnaire, the COVID‐19 Peritraumatic Distress Index, was completed in an adapted form by 712 pwCF and 3560 respondents from the general population 19 . Psychological distress in the mild to moderate range affected similar proportions of both samples; 40.2% of pwCF and 43.9% of the general population.…”

Comparison of the Mental Health Impact of COVID-19 on Vulnerable and Non-Vulnerable Groups: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies

“…The sample size ranged from 48 to 13,829. Except for three studies [6,40,58] that did not report participants' ages, three studies reported median with interquartile range [41,44,46], and one study [53] reported range of age; all the remaining studies reported mean age. The most frequently used assessment tool was DASS-21 which was used in 7 studies [42,[48][49][50][51]53,55] measuring depressive symptoms, anxiety, and stress.…”

“…Of the 25 studies included, 17 [6,39,40,[43][44][45][46][48][49][50][51][53][54][55][56][57][58] were cross-sectional studies, and of the remaining studies, 6 [38,41,42,52,59,60] were case-control studies, and 2 [47,61] were longitudinal studies. Four studies [38,44,54,59] were conducted in Turkey, three in the United States [43,46,61], three in Spain [49][50][51] and Italy [53,55,58], two in Australia [40,48], China [39,56], and Iran [41,45], and one Germany [52], the Netherlands [60], Bangladesh [42], Israel [6], and Argentina ...…”

“…Four studies [38,44,54,59] were conducted in Turkey, three in the United States [43,46,61], three in Spain [49][50][51] and Italy [53,55,58], two in Australia [40,48], China [39,56], and Iran [41,45], and one Germany [52], the Netherlands [60], Bangladesh [42], Israel [6], and Argentina [47], respectively. 22 studies [6,38,[40][41][42][43][44][45][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60] did not report the ethnicity of the participants. Otherwise, except for one study [39] involving only Chinese participants, the rest [46,…”