Research of the Coronavirus Anxiety, Post-Traumatic Stress, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Quality of Life, and Stress Coping Styles in COVID-19 Survivors

Abstract

The COVID-19 survivors suffer from severe psychosocial challenges related to the current pandemic. In this context, it was aimed to evaluate the coronavirus anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and also determine the quality of life (QOL), and coping styles with stress in survivors by comparing them with non-COVID controls (NCs). This study was conducted from April 15 to October 15, 2021, as a cross-sectional study design. The study included 339 survivors who were confirmed with COVID-19 through clinical tests in the last 3 months and 321 NCs who had not been infected with COVID-19. Besides sociodemographic and clinical data, a set of valid and reliable assessment tools were used to measure outcomes of coronavirus anxiety, coping styles, post-traumatic stress, generalized anxiety, and quality of life. The total scores of IES-R, GAD-7, and CAS were significantly higher in survivors than in the NCs. These results revealed that survivors manifested higher levels of coronavirus anxiety, generalized anxiety, and post-traumatic stress symptoms (p < 0.05). In survivors, the rates of GAD and coronavirus anxiety were found to be 59.3% and 25.7%, respectively. Additionally, the majority of survivors (89.4%) reported the severity of anxiety as moderate to severe, and also almost two-thirds of them reported the psychological impact of the pandemic as moderate to severe. Furthermore, survivors were found to have a lower quality of life. The findings of this study indicate that survivors experienced higher levels of coronavirus anxiety, generalized anxiety, and post-traumatic stress, and had lower QOL. In addition, it was determined that survivors haven't been using active styles adequately in coping with stress. Thus, psychological intervention studies should be conducted and public mental health strategies should be developed. Providing psychosocial support and psychological guidance will contribute to mental health well-being, and improve the QOL and coping strategies.

Longitudinal qualitative study on the psychological experiences of COVID-19 patients based on timing it right framework

“…Improving the treatment environment in isolation areas, providing as much stimulation as possible during the normal routine of work and rest, establishing a good lifestyle, and diversifying hospital activities are of great significance in relieving emotional tension, breaking psychological barriers, and promoting disease recovery 24 . Studies have shown that having sufficient sunlight is particularly effective for psychological relief 25 . Isolation areas should be set up to face south, and lighting measures should be strengthened.…”

A ansiedade e suas complicações pós pandemia da COVID-19

“…A amostra final foi composta por seis artigos, onde todos estavam no idioma inglês. Além disso, destaca-se que as pesquisas foram conduzidas em diferentes regiões do mundo, como Polônia (Florek, 2023;Shpakou et al, 2022), Áustria (Lueger-Schuster et al, 2022), Espanha (Osses-Anguita et al, 2023) e Turquia (Korkut et al, 2022), Qatar (Abbas et al, 2023).…”

“…Os autores Abbas et al (2023) e Korkut et al (2022) compartilham conclusões semelhantes sobre os efeitos psicológicos da pandemia. Ambos destacam um aumento em desafios de saúde mental além da ansiedade, como ausências escolares, uso excessivo de substâncias, perturbações do sono e transtornos alimentares.…”

Prevalence of COVID‐19 anxiety, geriatric anxiety, and related factors among the elderly in Quchan, Iran during the COVID‐19 pandemic: a cross‐sectional study

“…Previous studies have reported an increase in anxiety among older adults and a high incidence of COVID-19 anxiety in the elderly following the outbreak. [7][8][9] Advanced age is associated with various diseases and disorders, including mental health conditions, with anxiety being one of the most prevalent. 10 Anxiety significantly affects the lives of the elderly, reducing their quality of life, 11 increasing the risk of developing dementia 12 and cardiovascular diseases, 13 and impairing cognitive function, overall functioning, and sleep patterns.…”

“…COVID‐19 anxiety and geriatric anxiety have emerged as negative consequences following the pandemic. Previous studies have reported an increase in anxiety among older adults and a high incidence of COVID‐19 anxiety in the elderly following the outbreak 7–9 . Advanced age is associated with various diseases and disorders, including mental health conditions, with anxiety being one of the most prevalent 10 .…”