Dimensional structure of one-year post-COVID-19 neuropsychiatric and somatic sequelae and association with role impairment

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 13; no. 1; p. 12205
• Main Authors: Leung, Owen N. W., Chiu, Nicholas K. H., Wong, Samuel Y. S., Cuijpers, Pim, Alonso, Jordi, Chan, Paul K. S., Lui, Grace, Wong, Eliza, Bruffaerts, Ronny, Yip, Benjamin H. K., Mortier, Philippe, Vilagut, Gemma, Kwok, Dora, Lam, Linda C. W., Kessler, Ronald C., Mak, Arthur D. P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 27.07.2023; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 692/308; 692/308/174; Anxiety; Cognitive ability; Complications; COVID-19; Environmental factors; Fatigue; Humanities and Social Sciences; Infections; Mental disorders; Mental health; Morbidity; multidisciplinary; Post traumatic stress disorder; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Surveys
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-39209-z

This study examined the latent structure of the broad range of complex neuropsychiatric morbidities occurring 1 year after COVID-19 infection. As part of the CU-COVID19 study, 248 (response rate=39.3%) of 631 adults hospitalized for COVID-19 infection in Hong Kong completed an online survey between March-2021 and January-2022. Disorder prevalence was compared against a random non-infected household sample (n=1834). 248 surveys were received on average 321 days post-infection (Mean age: 48.9, 54% female, moderate/severe/critical infection: 58.2%). 32.4% were screened to have at least one mental disorder, 78.7% of whom had concurrent fatigue/subjective cognitive impairment (SCI). Only PTSD (19.1%) was significantly more common than control (14%, p=0.047). Latent profile analysis classified individuals into P1 (12·4%)-no current neuropsychiatric morbidities, P2 (23.1%)-SCI/fatigue, P3 (45.2%)-anxiety/PTSD, P4 (19.3%)-depression. SCI and fatigue pervaded in all profiles (P2-4) with neuropsychiatric morbidities one-year post-infection. PTSD, anxiety and depressive symptoms were most important in differentiating P2-4. Past mental health and P4 independently predicted functional impairment. Neuropsychiatric morbidity was associated with past mental health, reduced resilience, financial problems, but not COVID-19 severity. Their confluence with depressive and anxiety symptoms predicted impairment and are associated with psychological and environmental factors.