Crawford, MJ;
King, JD;
McQuaid, A;
Bassett, P;
Leeson, VC;
Tella, O;
Di Simplicio, M;
... Barnicot, K; + view all
(2024)
Severe COVID anxiety among adults in the United Kingdom: cohort study and nested feasibility trial.
BMC Psychiatry
, 24
(1)
, Article 27. 10.1186/s12888-023-05446-9.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: People with severe COVID anxiety have poor mental health and impaired functioning, but the course of severe COVID anxiety is unknown and the quality of evidence on the acceptability and impact of psychological interventions is low. METHODS: People with severe COVID anxiety have poor mental health and impaired functioning, but the course of severe COVID anxiety is unknown and the quality of evidence on the acceptability and impact of psychological interventions is low. RESULTS: 204 (70.2%) of 285 people who took part in the cohort study completed the six month follow-up, for whom levels of COVID anxiety fell from 12.4 at baseline to 6.8 at six months (difference = -5.5, 95% CI = -6.0 to -4.9). Reductions in COVID anxiety were lower among older people, those living with a vulnerable person, those with lower baseline COVID anxiety, and those with higher levels of generalised anxiety and health anxiety at baseline. 36 (90%) of 40 participants enrolled in the nested feasibility trial were followed up at six months. 17 (80.9%) of 21 people in the active arm of the trial received four or more sessions of CBT-HA. We found improved mental health and social functioning among those in the active, but not the control arm of the trial (Mean difference in total score on the Work and Social Adjustment Scale between baseline and follow up, was 9.7 (95% CI = 5.8–13.6) among those in the active, and 1.0 (95% C.I. = -4.6 to 6.6) among those in the control arm of the trial. CONCLUSIONS: While the mental health of people with severe COVID anxiety appears to improve over time, many continue to experience high levels of anxiety and poor social functioning. Health anxiety is highly prevalent among people with severe COVID anxiety and may provide a target for psychological treatment. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Retrospectively registered at ISRCTN14973494 on 09/09/2021.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Severe COVID anxiety among adults in the United Kingdom: cohort study and nested feasibility trial |
| Location: | England |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1186/s12888-023-05446-9 |
| Publisher version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12888-023-05446-9 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | © 2024 BioMed Central Ltd. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). |
| Keywords: | Anxiety disorders, COVID-19, Cohort study, Feasibility trial, Adult, Humans, Adolescent, Aged, Cohort Studies, Feasibility Studies, COVID-19, Anxiety, United Kingdom |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health > Epidemiology and Public Health |
| URI: | https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10185796 |
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