The emotional well-being of Long COVID patients in relation to their symptoms, social support and stigmatization in social and health services: a qualitative study
Abstract Background Long COVID patients have experienced a decline in their quality of life due to, in part but not wholly, its negative emotional impact. Some of the most prevalent mental health symptoms presented by long COVID patients are anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders. As such, the nee...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2023-01-01
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| Series: | BMC Psychiatry |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-022-04497-8 |
| _version_ | 1811175728732962816 |
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| author | M. Samper-Pardo B. Oliván-Blázquez R. Magallón-Botaya F. Méndez-López C. Bartolomé-Moreno S. León-Herrera |
| author_facet | M. Samper-Pardo B. Oliván-Blázquez R. Magallón-Botaya F. Méndez-López C. Bartolomé-Moreno S. León-Herrera |
| author_sort | M. Samper-Pardo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Long COVID patients have experienced a decline in their quality of life due to, in part but not wholly, its negative emotional impact. Some of the most prevalent mental health symptoms presented by long COVID patients are anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders. As such, the need has arisen to analyze the personal experiences of these patients to understand how they are managing their daily lives while dealing with the condition. The objective of this study is to increase understanding about the emotional well-being of people diagnosed with long COVID. Methods A qualitative design was created and carried out using 35 patients, with 17 participants being interviewed individually and 18 of them taking part in two focus groups. The participating patients were recruited in November and December 2021 from Primary Health Care (PHC) centers in the city of Zaragoza (Northern Spain) and from the Association of Long COVID Patients in Aragon. The study topics were emotional well-being, social support networks, and experience of discrimination. All an inductive thematic content analyses were performed iteratively using NVivo software. Results The Long COVID patients identified low levels of self-perceived well-being due to their persistent symptoms, as well as limitations in their daily lives that had been persistent for many months. Suicidal thoughts were also mentioned by several patients. They referred to anguish and anxiety about the future as well as a fear of reinfection or relapse and returning to work. Many of the participants reported that they have sought the help of a mental health professional. Most participants identified discriminatory situations in health care. Conclusions It is necessary to continue researching the impact that Long COVID has had on mental health, as well as to provide Primary Health Care professionals with evidence that can guide the emotional treatment of these patients |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T19:40:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-104e788ce4704ff1b2a03920bbd9f88a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-244X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T19:40:31Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj.art-104e788ce4704ff1b2a03920bbd9f88a2023-01-29T12:18:42ZengBMCBMC Psychiatry1471-244X2023-01-0123111310.1186/s12888-022-04497-8The emotional well-being of Long COVID patients in relation to their symptoms, social support and stigmatization in social and health services: a qualitative studyM. Samper-Pardo0B. Oliván-Blázquez1R. Magallón-Botaya2F. Méndez-López3C. Bartolomé-Moreno4S. León-Herrera5Institute for Health Research Aragon (IISAragon)Institute for Health Research Aragon (IISAragon)Institute for Health Research Aragon (IISAragon)Institute for Health Research Aragon (IISAragon)Institute for Health Research Aragon (IISAragon)Department of Psychology and Sociology, University of ZaragozaAbstract Background Long COVID patients have experienced a decline in their quality of life due to, in part but not wholly, its negative emotional impact. Some of the most prevalent mental health symptoms presented by long COVID patients are anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders. As such, the need has arisen to analyze the personal experiences of these patients to understand how they are managing their daily lives while dealing with the condition. The objective of this study is to increase understanding about the emotional well-being of people diagnosed with long COVID. Methods A qualitative design was created and carried out using 35 patients, with 17 participants being interviewed individually and 18 of them taking part in two focus groups. The participating patients were recruited in November and December 2021 from Primary Health Care (PHC) centers in the city of Zaragoza (Northern Spain) and from the Association of Long COVID Patients in Aragon. The study topics were emotional well-being, social support networks, and experience of discrimination. All an inductive thematic content analyses were performed iteratively using NVivo software. Results The Long COVID patients identified low levels of self-perceived well-being due to their persistent symptoms, as well as limitations in their daily lives that had been persistent for many months. Suicidal thoughts were also mentioned by several patients. They referred to anguish and anxiety about the future as well as a fear of reinfection or relapse and returning to work. Many of the participants reported that they have sought the help of a mental health professional. Most participants identified discriminatory situations in health care. Conclusions It is necessary to continue researching the impact that Long COVID has had on mental health, as well as to provide Primary Health Care professionals with evidence that can guide the emotional treatment of these patientshttps://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-022-04497-8Long COVIDEmotional well-beingSocial supportStigmatizationQualitative study |
| spellingShingle | M. Samper-Pardo B. Oliván-Blázquez R. Magallón-Botaya F. Méndez-López C. Bartolomé-Moreno S. León-Herrera The emotional well-being of Long COVID patients in relation to their symptoms, social support and stigmatization in social and health services: a qualitative study BMC Psychiatry Long COVID Emotional well-being Social support Stigmatization Qualitative study |
| title | The emotional well-being of Long COVID patients in relation to their symptoms, social support and stigmatization in social and health services: a qualitative study |
| title_full | The emotional well-being of Long COVID patients in relation to their symptoms, social support and stigmatization in social and health services: a qualitative study |
| title_fullStr | The emotional well-being of Long COVID patients in relation to their symptoms, social support and stigmatization in social and health services: a qualitative study |
| title_full_unstemmed | The emotional well-being of Long COVID patients in relation to their symptoms, social support and stigmatization in social and health services: a qualitative study |
| title_short | The emotional well-being of Long COVID patients in relation to their symptoms, social support and stigmatization in social and health services: a qualitative study |
| title_sort | emotional well being of long covid patients in relation to their symptoms social support and stigmatization in social and health services a qualitative study |
| topic | Long COVID Emotional well-being Social support Stigmatization Qualitative study |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-022-04497-8 |
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