Institute for Health Research Aragon (IISAragon), Zaragoza, Spain.
Department of Psychology and Sociology, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.
BMC Psychiatry. 2023 Jan 25;23(1):68. doi: 10.1186/s12888-022-04497-8.
Long COVID patients have experienced a decline in their quality of life due to, in part but not wholly, its negative emotional impact. Some of the most prevalent mental health symptoms presented by long COVID patients are anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders. As such, the need has arisen to analyze the personal experiences of these patients to understand how they are managing their daily lives while dealing with the condition. The objective of this study is to increase understanding about the emotional well-being of people diagnosed with long COVID.
A qualitative design was created and carried out using 35 patients, with 17 participants being interviewed individually and 18 of them taking part in two focus groups. The participating patients were recruited in November and December 2021 from Primary Health Care (PHC) centers in the city of Zaragoza (Northern Spain) and from the Association of Long COVID Patients in Aragon. The study topics were emotional well-being, social support networks, and experience of discrimination. All an inductive thematic content analyses were performed iteratively using NVivo software.
The Long COVID patients identified low levels of self-perceived well-being due to their persistent symptoms, as well as limitations in their daily lives that had been persistent for many months. Suicidal thoughts were also mentioned by several patients. They referred to anguish and anxiety about the future as well as a fear of reinfection or relapse and returning to work. Many of the participants reported that they have sought the help of a mental health professional. Most participants identified discriminatory situations in health care.
It is necessary to continue researching the impact that Long COVID has had on mental health, as well as to provide Primary Health Care professionals with evidence that can guide the emotional treatment of these patients.
长新冠患者的生活质量下降，部分原因是其情绪受到负面影响。长新冠患者最常见的心理健康症状包括焦虑、抑郁和睡眠障碍。因此，有必要分析这些患者的个人经历，以了解他们在应对疾病的同时如何管理日常生活。本研究旨在提高对长新冠患者情绪健康的理解。
采用定性设计，共纳入 35 名患者，其中 17 名患者接受单独访谈，18 名患者参加了 2 个焦点小组。参与研究的患者于 2021 年 11 月至 12 月间在西班牙北部萨拉戈萨市的初级保健中心和阿拉贡长新冠患者协会招募。研究主题包括情绪健康、社会支持网络和遭受歧视的经历。使用 NVivo 软件对所有数据进行了归纳主题内容分析。
长新冠患者由于持续的症状和持续数月的日常生活限制，自我感知的幸福感水平较低。一些患者还提到了自杀念头。他们提到了对未来的焦虑和担忧，以及对再次感染或复发和重返工作岗位的恐惧。许多参与者表示，他们已经寻求心理健康专业人员的帮助。大多数参与者在医疗保健方面遇到了歧视性的情况。
有必要继续研究长新冠对心理健康的影响，并为初级保健专业人员提供能够指导这些患者情绪治疗的证据。
