Prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder, emotional impairments, and fear in COVID-19 surviving patients

Introduction: Among the different psychological sequelae of post-COVID syndrome are symptoms related to emotional impairment, mostly depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Objective: To describe and compare the prevalence and severity of PTSD, anxiety, depression, and fear of COVID-19 in survivors 3 months after discharge from the hospital. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted, a total of 227 survivors of COVID-19 participated; they were assessed 3 months after being discharged from the hospital. A psychological evaluation focused on anxiety, depression, PTSD, and fear was conducted. Statistical analysis through the t-test for independent samples was performed. Results: Of the patients, 64.5% were men, 60.9% required invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) during hospitalization, and the average age was about 48.23 ± 14.33 years. Also, 40% showed symptoms associated with PTSD, 38.4% exhibited anxiety, 36.6% depression, and 36.12% exhibited fear of COVID-19. There were statistically significant differences between men and women, in PTSD (t = -3.414, df = 224, p = 0.001, x̅m = 5.10, x̅w = 6.32), depression (t = -4.680, df = 225, p = 0.000, x̅m = 3.64, x̅w = 7.18), anxiety (t = -3.427, df = 152.53, p = 0.001, x̅m = 3.78, x̅w = 6.20), and fear of COVID-19 (t = -3.400, df = 224, p = 0.001, x̅m = 11.88, x̅w = 15.19). Furthermore, there were also statistically significant differences between the type of treatment during hospitalization (IMV vs. without IMV), in PTSD (t = 2.482, df = 223, p = 0.014, x̅IMV = 5.21, x̅WIMV = 6.08) and anxiety (t = -2.006, df = 223, p = 0.046, x̅IMV = 4.05, x̅WIMV = 5.44). Conclusion: Survivors of COVID-19 experience a high prevalence of PTSD, anxiety, depression, and fear, even 3 months after discharge from the hospital. Females and patients who did not require IMV during hospitalization are the most affected population, presenting more severe symptoms of these psychological alterations. More research is required to know and observe the long-term evolution of these psychological alterations in this population. Graphical Abstract