Psychological Symptoms After Discharge from the Intensive Care Unit Among Families of Patients with COVID-19

Sarigiannis, K.; Tringali, Jonathan J.; Hebert, Chris J.; Banayan, David; Basapur, Santosh; Glover, Chris D.; Shah, Rahulkumar; Gerhart, James; Greenberg, Jared A.

doi:10.1164/ajrccm-conference.2021.203.1_meetingabstracts.a1498

Cited by 1 publication

(2 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Both the initial and post-ICU studies were approved by the Rush University Medical Center IRB. Preliminary analysis of psychometric measures completed by families after the ICU stay revealed higher levels of emotional distress among families of deceased patients versus surviving patients (7). Inclusion criteria for this study were prior participation and completion of surveys/interviews in “ICU Rounding Summaries for Families of Critically Ill Patients” (NCT03969810), the patient had been treated in the ICU for COVID-19 and was deceased, and English language fluency.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Additionally, the novelty of the worldwide pandemic, in addition to social distancing (3), high rates of family transmission, and the social nesting of COVID-19 in already vulnerable communities (4), limited the opportunity for family surrogates to access the resources needed to recover following a patient's death (e.g., meaningful routines, social support, and mental health treatment). Surrogates during the COVID-19 pandemic may therefore be at increased risk for psychologic distress including anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to the addition of stressors imposed by the pandemic (5)(6)(7).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Piloting Group-Based Behavioral Activation Therapy for Families of Deceased COVID-19 Patients

England

Lietzau

et al. 2022

Critical Care Explorations

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BACKGROUND: Surrogate decision-making is a stressful process for many family members of critically ill patients. The COVID-19 pandemic may have amplified the risk for anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in ICU surrogates. OBJECTIVES:This study piloted an online group-based behavioral intervention with family members of deceased COVID-19 patients. Participant engagement, perceptions, and responses related to the intervention were assessed. DESIGN:A single-arm pilot study was conducted with bereaved families. Quantitative analysis of measures of anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms was conducted with mixed models. Qualitative data were analyzed to identify themes in surrogates' experiences with the intervention. SETTING: Participants were recruited from ICUs at a tertiary academic medical center. Participants completed the intervention, measures, and interviews online. SUBJECTS:Participants were family members of patients who died from COVID-19. INTERVENTIONS:The intervention involved six online group-based behavioral activation sessions. Sessions covered topics pertinent to grieving and engagement in personally meaningful activities. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:Semi-structured interviews explored participants' experiences with the intervention. Surrogates also completed measures of anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms before and after the intervention. Nineteen of 26 participants (73.1%) completed the study. Thematic analysis suggested that surrogates found the group helpful for overcoming perceived isolation, receiving validation, and developing coping skills. Significant pre-to-post reductions were observed in symptoms of Hospital and Anxiety Disorder Scale (HADS) anxiety (pre-mean = 9.27, sd = 5.30 vs post-mean = 6.80, sd = 4.16; p = 0.0271), HADS depression (pre-mean =6 .65, sd = 4.58 vs postmean = 4.89, sd = 3.40; p = 0.0436), and Impact of Events Scale-Revised PTSD (pre-mean = 36.86, sd = 16.97 vs post-mean = 24.14, sd = 13.49; p = 0.0008). LIMITATIONS:This was a preliminary study based on qualitative and self-report measures. Future studies should include a control group. CONCLUSIONS:Online group-based behavioral activation therapy appears to be a potentially useful intervention for family members of ICU patients who died from COVID-19.

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%