Short report: COVID-19-related anxiety is associated with mental health problems among adults with rare disorders.
Krister W Fjermestad, Stian Orm, Wendy K Silverman and 1 others
PMID 35114595WHAT IT FOUND
Adults with rare disorders reported significantly more mental health problems and COVID-19 anxiety than general population norms.
These two issues were strongly linked in this group, suggesting that addressing pandemic-related fears may be necessary when supporting their mental health.
Key findings
01Adults with rare disorders had a mean mental health problem score of 1.3 compared to 0.4 in general population norms, a large effect size difference (d = 1.14).
02Mean COVID-19 anxiety was 1.2 in the rare disorder group compared to 0.8 in norms, a medium effect size difference (d = 0.53).
03COVID-19 anxiety was significantly associated with mental health problems, explaining an additional 16.1% of the variance after controlling for age, gender, and work status.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The sample size was small (58 participants), which limits the generalizability of the findings. The study used a cross-sectional design, so it cannot determine whether COVID-19 anxiety causes mental health problems or vice versa. Participants were recruited through social media via a national resource center, which may introduce selection bias towards those already engaged with support services. The specific rare disorders varied widely (over 20 types represented), so findings may not apply to any single condition.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that treating anxiety will automatically improve mental health outcomes, as the study only shows an association, not causation. The cross-sectional design cannot rule out that pre-existing mental health problems made patients more susceptible to COVID-19 anxiety.