Prevalence and factors associated with anxiety and depression after COVID-19.
Iasmin Daniele de Araújo, Isabella Joyce Silva de Almeida Carvalho, Lusineide Carmo Andrade de Lacerda and 3 others
PMID 42659486WHAT IT FOUND
Among 381 adults at least four months after PCR-confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis, screening suggested possible or probable anxiety in 46.45% and depression in 22.31%; fear of reinfection and previous history of mental disorders were strongly linked to both.
Key findings
01Possible or probable anxiety was 46.45%, and possible or probable depression was 22.31%.
02Fear of contracting COVID-19 again was associated with higher odds of anxiety (OR=3.08) and depression (OR=3.24); previous history of mental disorders was associated with higher odds of anxiety (OR=5.56) and depression (OR=2.80).
03Employed participants had lower odds of anxiety (OR=0.54), while family income up to one minimum wage was associated with higher odds of depression (OR=2.18).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot show that fear, low income, or other factors caused anxiety or depression. Most participants had mild, home-treated COVID-19, so results may not apply to people who were hospitalized or had severe disease. Anxiety and depression were measured by self-report HADS scores, not by clinical diagnosis. The sample came from one municipality in Brazil, so prevalence may differ elsewhere. People with cognitive deficits or incomplete questionnaires were excluded, which may limit who the findings represent.
Declared interests
Supported by the Fundação de Amparo à Ciência e Tecnologia do Estado de Pernambuco (FACEPE), grant BIC-1277-4.04/22, Brazil.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the associations as proof that fear of reinfection, previous mental disorders, or low income caused anxiety or depression. The study measured symptoms and factors at one time point, and most cases were mild, so it can only show links.