Risk of post-traumatic stress symptoms in hospitalized and non-hospitalized COVID-19 recovered patients. A cross-sectional study.

High rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms have been found among patients with more severe COVID-19-related symptoms, and hospitalization is generally recognized as a risk factor for developing PTSD. Furthermore, other personality characteristics may increase the risk of developing post-traumatic stress symptoms following a COVID-19 infection. This study aimed to assess personality traits, alexithymia, dissociation, anxiety, and depression in patients who have recovered from COVID-19 and the impact of these variables on the presence of post-traumatic stress symptoms. Five hundred and six participants completed a battery of standardized questionnaires. All the scales used in this study are valid and reliable measures of their respective constructs. Results showed that high levels of alexithymia, dissociation, anxiety, and depression statistically significantly predicted the three main clusters of PTSD symptoms (avoidance, intrusion, and hyperarousal) in individuals who have recovered from COVID-19. Furthermore, negative affectivity and psychoticism significantly predicted PTSD symptoms in our sample. Finally, individuals hospitalized by COVID-19 are more at risk of developing intrusion and hyperarousal symptoms than those who never needed hospital care. Our findings are a valuable contribution in identifying the main risk factors of psychological distress related to COVID-19 to address the long-term mental health needs of people who have experienced the disease.

What Is the Role of Psychological Factors in Long COVID Syndrome? Latent Class Analysis in a Sample of Patients Recovered from COVID-19.

Background: This study aimed to identify clusters of long COVID-19 symptoms using latent class analysis and investigate the psychological factors involved in the onset of this syndrome. Method: Five hundred and six subjects recovering from COVID-19 completed a series of standardized questionnaires to evaluate the personality traits, alexithymia, and post-traumatic stress. Results: Five classes were identified: Brain fog (31.82%), No symptoms (20.95%), Sensory disorders (18.77%), Breath impairment (17.59%), and Multiple disorders (10.87%). Women reported post-COVID-19 respiratory symptoms and multiple disorders to a greater extent than men. Hospitalized subjects were more likely to report persistent symptoms after COVID-19 than asymptomatic or home-treated subjects. Antagonism, hyperarousal, and difficulty identifying emotions significantly predicted post COVID-19 symptoms. Conclusions: These findings open new questions for research on long COVID-19 and how states of emotional dysregulation can alter the physiological processes of the body and contribute to the onset of organic pathologies.