Nava Roberto, Benatti Beatrice, Girone Nicolaja, Macellaro Monica, Pellicioli Cristian, Maggioni Laura, Marcatili Matteo, Dell'Osso Bernardo, Clerici Massimo
IRCSS San Gerardo, Monza, Italy.
University of Milan, Department of Mental Health, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences Luigi Sacco, Milan, Italy.
Clin Neuropsychiatry. 2024 Dec;21(6):529-537. doi: 10.36131/cnfioritieditore20240606.
Even though the COVID-19 emergency has concluded, its consequences are still relevant. Recent evidence suggests that a significant proportion of individuals experience persistent symptoms long after the initial infection has resolved, classified as "Long COVID" condition. Fear of COVID-19 increases anxiety and stress levels in healthy individuals and exacerbates the symptoms of those with pre-existing psychiatric disorders; therefore understanding the impact of the pandemic on psychiatric disorders remains of utmost importance. The present study aimed at assessing the prevalence and predictive factors of fear of COVID-19 in a sample of patients with different psychiatric conditions.
A sample of 269 psychiatric patients were recruited from two different tertiary clinics in Italy and assessed with the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S). In order to compare patients with a significant fear of COVID-19 or without (Fear+ vs. Fear-) and to identify the main features in terms of clinical dimension, exploratory and predictive analysis were performed.
Female gender, age at illness onset, and insight levels emerged as positive predictors of FCV-19S. Conversely, current substance abuse emerged as a negative predictor of fear levels. Moreover, significantly lower FCV-19S scores were observed in patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia spectrum disorders.
Specific sociodemographic and clinical factors predicted higher levels of fear of COVID-19 in psychiatric patients. Further studies are warranted to determine the potential long-term consequences of the COVID-19 impact on mental health.
尽管新冠疫情紧急状态已经结束，但其后果仍然具有相关性。最近的证据表明，很大一部分人在初次感染解决后很长时间仍有持续症状，被归类为“长期新冠”状况。对新冠的恐惧会增加健康个体的焦虑和压力水平，并加剧患有先前存在的精神疾病患者的症状；因此，了解疫情对精神疾病的影响仍然至关重要。本研究旨在评估不同精神状况患者样本中对新冠恐惧的患病率及预测因素。
从意大利两家不同的三级诊所招募了269名精神科患者，并使用新冠恐惧量表（FCV-19S）进行评估。为了比较有明显新冠恐惧的患者和没有明显新冠恐惧的患者（恐惧阳性组与恐惧阴性组），并确定临床维度方面的主要特征，进行了探索性和预测性分析。
女性、发病年龄和自知力水平是FCV-19S的阳性预测因素。相反，当前药物滥用是恐惧水平的阴性预测因素。此外，诊断为精神分裂症谱系障碍的患者中，FCV-19S得分显著较低。
特定的社会人口统计学和临床因素预测了精神科患者中对新冠更高水平的恐惧。有必要进行进一步研究以确定新冠疫情对心理健康影响的潜在长期后果。
