ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Pregnant women may be more vulnerable than others to the psychological and social effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In this study, we try to answer the question - is the modified distress thermometer (m-DT) useful for screening pregnant women with COVID-19 for psychological distress? METHODS: We have used the m-DT to screen pregnant women with COVID-19 for psychological distress. A total of 112 pregnant women with COVID-19 were prospectively enrolled. The study participants were asked to rate their distress in the past three days on an 11-point visual analog scale ranging from 0 (no distress) to 10 (extreme distress). They were then asked to fill in the problem list (PL) which accompanied the visual image of the m-DT. To explore the association between these scores and the clinical variables, binary logistic regression tests were carried out. RESULTS: Sixty-eight percent (76/112) of the study subjects experienced significant (m-DT score ≥ 4) COVID-19-related distress. Regression analysis showed that m-DT score of ≥4 had statistically significant associations with gravida status length of quarantine time, the presence of chronic medical or respiratory disease, fears, worry, shortness of breath, and sleep. Multivariable analysis confirmed that the presence of chronic respiratory disease, shortness of breath, and sleep were independent factors associated with significant distress in pregnant women with COVID-19. CONCLUSION: With the use of m-DT, two-thirds of pregnant women with COVID-19 experienced significant distress. This distress was significantly related to older age, multigravida, exposure to longer quarantine time, presence of underlying medical disorder, and the presence of chronic respiratory disorders. The presence of chronic respiratory disease, shortness of breath, and sleep disturbance were independent factors associated with significant distress in pregnant women with COVID-19.
ABSTRACT
Objective This study describes the psychological counseling offered to family members of SARS-CoV-2 patients in an intensive care unit (ICU). The purpose of this study is to describe the emotional burden experienced by families, and describe the first contact and counseling services. Methods Family members of patients admitted to the IRCCS ISMETT COVID-19 ICU were contacted by telephone by the IRCCS ISMETT Clinical Psychology Service. After this first contact, the families who accepted the service were offered periodical counseling by the psychologists. The clinical psychological interview was used to manage and support their emotional burden. The stress thermometer was used as a tool to assess the stress experienced by the family members. who were followed by the psychology team until the patient was discharged or transferred to another hospital, or until his or her death. A follow-up telephone psychological counseling was planned six months after the patient's discharge. Results We contacted 60 family members of patients admitted to the IRCCS ISMETT COVID-19 ICU. Of these, 23 accepted the telephone psychological counseling. The level of perceived stress of family members was high (M 7 DS 1.6). The main cause of distress was described as related to an emotional issue (fear, depression). Family members were encouraged to manage the emotional burden and supported at the time of the patient's discharge or death. Conclusions Our experience with telephone psychological counseling for family members of COVID-19 ICU patients highlights the emotional burden of families and the importance of this service. Our study encourages additional research on the post-traumatic sequelae of family members forced to deal at a distance with the hospitalization of a beloved one, and suggests the need fora patient- and family-centered model of care, even during a pandemic.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) has adopted the distress thermometer (DT) as one of the best-known distress-screening instruments. We have adopted a modified version of the NCCN distress thermometer. We questioned if this modified DT (m-DT) could be utilized for measuring the prevalence of psychological distress among COVID-19 patients. METHODS: The prospective study included 2 phases; modification of the original DT and its associated problem list (PL), and evaluation of this m-DT in measuring the prevalence of psychological distress among COVID-19 patients. Egyptian adult subjects with suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 at 2 University Hospitals were enrolled. Binary logistic regression tests were carried out to explore the association between the m-DT cut-off scores of 4 and the clinical variables. RESULTS: One hundred sixty-nine (60.4%) patients experienced significant distress (m-DT cut off score ≥4). Logistic regression showed that occupation, presence of special habits, length of quarantine time, worry, cough, shortness of breath, and fever, were independent factors associated with significant distress in COVID-19 patients. CONCLUSION: With the modified distress thermometer (m-DT), 60% of Egyptian COVID-19 patients experienced significant distress. This distress was significantly related to age, marital status, occupation, presence or absence of special habits, and length of the quarantine time. With m-DT, the current study had identified worry, being a health-care worker, shortness of breath, fever, length of quarantine time, presence of special habits, and cough as independent factors associated with significant distress in COVID-19 patients. Further studies are warranted.