Objective: In this study, treatment- and disease-associated consequences of intensive care treatment of COVID-19 in patients and relatives were investigated and compared with data from the general population and sepsis patients. In addition, dyadic associations in symptoms of patients and relatives were analyzed.
Methods: In a monocentric, prospective, non-controlled observational study, patients who underwent intensive care treatment due to Covid-19 disease at Jena University Hospital between November 2020 and March 2021 and their relatives were included. We assessed the long-term outcome between three and six months after discharge from the intensive care unit (ICU) using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Posttraumatic Stress Scale-14, the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory-10, and the EQ-5D-5L.
Results: Seventy-two patients (Mdn 64 years, 67% men) and 56 relatives (Mdn 60 years, 80% women, 80% partners) were included in the study. 39,4% of the patients reported clinically relevant anxiety symptoms, 38,8% depressive symptoms, and 45,1% PTSD symptoms, with most cases having abnormal scores in multiple symptom domains. Among relatives, a smaller proportion had clinically relevant scores (29,2%/15,3%/31,5%). Compared with the general population, Covid 19 patients reported significantly higher anxiety and fatigue scores and a reduced quality of life. In relatives, significantly higher anxiety scores for women and lower quality of life for men were found. Compared to ICU patients with severe sepsis, Covid-19 patients were found to have significantly higher PTSD symptoms and lower quality of life. Significant dyadic associations were found for anxiety and fatigue.
Discussion: The results of this study on psychological symptoms after ICU treatment confirm findings from previous studies, but also indicate a stronger PTSD symptomatology, which can be explained by the increased traumatizing potential of isolation and protective measures during treatment. Compared to the general population, particularly elevated anxiety scores of the patients are noticeable, which can be explained by the possible risk of re-infection.
Conclusion: Psychological long-term consequences of intensive care treatment of Covid-19 disease should be diagnosed and adequately addressed in the outpatient follow-up of affected individuals.
Objective: Disorganized attachment represents the greatest risk factor for psychopathology compared to the "organized" insecure attachment dimensions in various meta-analyses. Recently, the Adult Disorganized Attachment Scale (ADA) was developed as a self-rating scale for measuring disorganized attachment in romantic partnerships. However, a translation and evaluation in German-speaking samples is not yet available.
Methods: A German Translation of the scale (ADA-D) comprising nine items was assessed in a general population sample (N=1101) and in a student sample (N=328). The factor structure, psychometric properties, and validity of the scale with respect to psychopathology and the Experiences in Close Relationships questionnaire (ECR-RD) were examined. The differential associations of ADA-D and ECR-RD with psychopathology were determined using linear regression models.
Results: The unidimensional factor structure of the original version could be confirmed for the ADA-D and the instrument exhibited high internal consistency (McDonalds ω=0.91 / 0.89). Compared to attachment anxiety and avoidance, ADA-D was the strongest predictor of dissociative symptoms (Sample 1: β=0.48; p<0.001; Sample 2: β=0.23; p<0.01) and, in Sample 1, additionally for physical aggression (β=0.37; p<0.001).
Discussion: The ADA-D exhibits good psychometric properties that are comparable to the original version of the scale. The associations with aggressiveness and dissociation are in line with previous findings regarding the unresolved attachment status in the Adult Attachment Interview.
Conclusion: The ADA-D can be recommended for further use in research as a screening instrument for disorganized attachment in adulthood. An application in psychotherapeutic diagnostics seems promising, however, evaluations in clinical samples are necessary beforehand.
Background: As part of their career police officers are faced with traumatic events on a regular basis and are at a higher risk of developing PTSD compared to the general population. The aim of this study was to examine if and how many early career police officers already experienced potentially traumatizing situations and how many conform to either subsyndromal or complete PTSD criteria. Further subject of interest was if the officers know the concept of psychosocial emergency care for first responders (PSNV-E) and if such support is made use of.
Method: N=221 early career police officers were assessed via an online-survey about their posttraumatic stress symptoms.
Results: More than half of the participants (n=121) reported having experienced at least one traumatic deployment. PTSD prevalence in this group was at 1.7%, an additional 14.9% showed partial PTSD. One fifth did not know about the PSNV-E concept.
Conclusion: Police officers are confronted with a range of extremely stressful events early in their career leading to first symptoms of PTSD in some of them. Early prevention strategies as well as the identification of those affected for secondary prevention is of very high relevance for long term mental health.
So far, little is known about the number and extent of physical illnesses in older patients in psychosomatic clinics. In the present study, the number and frequency of physical illness and its relationship to psychological symptoms were investigated in a group of 150 patients in the second half of life (50 each in the age groups 40-54, 55-69 and 70). Method: The CIRS (Cumulative Illness Rating Scale), an established third-party assessment method for physical illness on 14 scales, was used to record physical illness. The results show the greatest frequency and severity of physical illness in the oldest group. In addition, physical illness was found to be more strongly related to mental illness with increasing age. In the discussion, aspects of health care policy and therapy are addressed.
Objective: The VISION intervention is a manualized short-term treatment for people with somatic symptom disorder, integrated into the primary care and delivered by psychotherapists via video consultations. As an innovative technology-based approach, the intervention was most recently piloted in a randomized feasibility trial. During the qualitative accompanying study presented here, the intervention was evaluated and optimised from the user perspective of patients who participated in the feasibility study.
Methods: We interviewed a total of N=10 patients included in the intervention group in three semi structured focus group discussions focusing on how they (1) assess the intervention in terms of acceptance and individual benefit and (2) which adjustments are necessary from the user perspective for further optimization of the intervention. We performed a qualitative content analysis using MAXQDA Plus 2022.
Results: Respondents reported initial reservations on their part regarding care via video consultation. After a brief period of habituation, the intervention was universally accepted. Main suggestions for improvement included a stronger focus on supporting patients find follow-up psychotherapy (if indicated) more flexible settings (e. g., location of video consultation), and a stronger integration of treatment into primary care.
Discussion and conclusion: The study provides systematically elaborated comprehensive findings on participants' practical experiences with the intervention. The model is appropriate for treating people with somatic symptom disorder. Before implementation, important suggestions for improvement should be thoroughly considered with continued patient and public involvement.
Premenstrual symptomatology is a widespread and yet under-researched problem. To date, there is no German instrument for assessing the broad spectrum of possible symptoms and their degree of expression. For this reason, the short versions of the Premenstrual Assessment Form with 20 and 10 items were translated and validated in a sample of N=147 menstruating persons. The internal consistencies of the 20-item and 10-item versions are high (Cronbach's αPAF20=0.93 and αPAF10=0.88, respectively) and comparable to the original versions. Factor analysis identified two scales that assess psychological and physiological symptoms. Convergent validity was demonstrated by a correlation with the PMS Impact Questionnaire (rPAF20=0.66, p<.001). This association was significantly higher (z=2.67, p=0.004) than the correlation with the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (rPAF20=0.50, p<0.001), which verifies divergent validity. Additionally, cut-off values for suspected diagnoses based on DSM-V diagnostic criteria for both short forms were calculated. The translated Premenstrual Assessment Form is a valid, reliable, and parsimonious instrument that can be used flexibly. It is suitable for quantifying premenstrual symptomatology in research.