Association between Post-COVID-19 Disabling Sequelae and Mental Health Symptoms in Adult Patients
Rev. Hosp. Psiq. Hab. Volumen 22 | Año 2025 |Publicación continua
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in the city of Camagüey. The research was carried out between January and December 2021
and included patients from the nine health areas of the municipality of Camagüey.
From a universe of 265 patients, we worked with a sample of 200, selected through non-
probabilistic convenience sampling. Each group included a total of 100 patients, while the
cases corresponded to those diagnosed with post-COVID-19 disabling sequelae and the
controls corresponded to those who recovered completely, without sequelae.
The following eligibility criteria were taken into account:
Inclusion criteria
Patients between the ages of 20 and 59 diagnosed with COVID-19.
Patients willing to participate in the study with prior informed consent.
Exclusion criteria
Patients with pre-existing psychiatric disorders diagnosed before becoming ill with
COVID-19.
Patients with serious medical conditions that preclude evaluation of mental health
symptoms.
Sociodemographic variables, comorbidities, clinical manifestations, mental health symptoms
and psychosocial factors were analyzed. In each case the following aspects were considered:
- Sociodemographic variables: age group (20-39), sex (male), socioeconomic level
(adequate), educational, level (pre-university and university), employment status
(stable) and housing conditions (adequate).
- Comorbidities: diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure, bronchial asthma, ischemic
heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and obesity.
- Clinical manifestations: chronic fatigue, respiratory difficulty, muscle and joint
pain, tachycardia, loss of taste and smell and reduced functional capacity
- Mental health symptoms: anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, insomnia,
irritability and concentration problems.
- Psychosocial factors: social isolation, adaptability, family support, social support,
access to health resources and social stigmatization.
The information obtained through a demographic questionnaire made it possible to create a
database in Microsoft Excel as the primary record of the research. The patients' medical
records were also consulted in order to obtain data that were not included in the surveys.
Validated scales such as the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Hamilton Anxiety
Scale (HAM-A) were used to evaluate mental health symptoms. Likewise, structured
interviews were conducted to delve deeper into the clinical history and reported symptoms.
Data processing was carried out using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS),
version 27.0, so that descriptive and inferential statistics were applied. The results were
expressed in numbers and percentages and the Odds ratio (OR) was calculated as a measure
of effect in this type of studies, in addition to the confidence interval (CI) and statistical
significance (p). The results are displayed in the form of texts and tables.