Abstract

Introduction

Patients with long COVID experience a wide range of physical and psychological symptoms. Mental health disturbances include cognitive impairment, memory loss, anxiety, depression sleep disorders…

Objectives

We aimed to determine to assess mental repercussions in long COVID, especially sleep disturbances and depression.

Methods

This is a prospective cohort study including 84 adults Tunisian COVID 19 inpatients who had been discharged alive from hospital. Each enrolled patient was asked about the period before SARS COV2 related hospital stay, and the 6-9 month-period after hospital discharge, using the validated Arabic version of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-9 and the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI).

Results

The mean age of patients was 57,59 ± 12,84 years with a sex ratio (H/F) 1,2.

As compared with baseline, all assessed outcomes (ISI and PHQ) significantly impaired after the covid-19 infection (p<0.001 for the two cases).

The prevalence of depressive symptoms doubled after the infection (25% to 58,3%).

The prevalence of insomnia was multiplied by 5 after the covid-19 infection (5,95% to 30,95%). ISI score was correlated with the PHQ score (p<0.001; r=0.738).

Conclusions

Our study highlighted the association between COVID-19 infection and the impairment of mental health outcomes. Thus, patients who have experienced COVID-19 illness should be screened for long psychological disturbances even a few months after the infection, in order to guarantee a better quality of life.

Disclosure of Interest

None Declared

Details

Title
LONG TERM IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON MENTAL HEALTH: A TUNISIAN STUDY
Author
Bouattour, N 1 ; Turki, M 1 ; Bouaziz, W 2 ; Abdelkefi, M 1 ; Jbir, R 1 ; Ellouze, S 1 ; Msaad, S 2 ; Kammoun, S 2 ; Halouani, N 1 ; Aloulou, J 1 

 Psychiatry B 
 Pneumology, Hedi Chaker University Hospital, Sfax, Tunisia 
Pages
S801-S801
Publication year
2023
Publication date
Mar 2023
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
ISSN
09249338
e-ISSN
17783585
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2880553926
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.