Mental health symptoms in family members of COVID-19 ICU survivors 3 and 12 months after ICU admission: a multicentre prospective cohort study

• Published in: Intensive care medicine Vol. 48; no. 3; pp. 322 - 331
• Main Authors: Heesakkers, Hidde, van der Hoeven, Johannes G., Corsten, Stijn, Janssen, Inge, Ewalds, Esther, Burgers-Bonthuis, Dominique, Rettig, Thijs C. D., Jacobs, Crétien, van Santen, Susanne, Slooter, Arjen J. C., van der Woude, Margaretha C. E., Zegers, Marieke, van den Boogaard, Mark
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.03.2022; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Anesthesiology; Anxiety; Anxiety - epidemiology; Anxiety - psychology; Cohort analysis; Cohort Studies; Confidence intervals; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Critical Care Medicine; Depression - epidemiology; Depression - psychology; Depression, Mental; Emergency Medicine; Family; Health risks; Hospital patients; Humans; Intensive; Intensive care; Intensive Care Units; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mental depression; Mental disorders; Mental Health; Original; Pain Medicine; Pediatrics; Pneumology/Respiratory System; Post traumatic stress disorder; Prospective Studies; Psychological stress; Quality of Life; Risk analysis; Risk factors; SARS-CoV-2; Signs and symptoms; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - epidemiology; Survival; Survivors - psychology; Viral diseases; Netherlands; COVID-19; Critical care; Family members; Mental health; Quality of life
• ISSN: 0342-4642; 1432-1238
• DOI: 10.1007/s00134-021-06615-8

Purpose Long-term mental outcomes in family members of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) intensive care unit (ICU) survivors are unknown. Therefore, we assessed the prevalence of mental health symptoms, including associated risk factors, and quality of life (QoL) in family members of COVID-19 ICU survivors 3 and 12 months post-ICU. Methods A prospective multicentre cohort study in ICUs of ten Dutch hospitals, including adult family members of COVID-19 ICU survivors admitted between March 1, and July 1, 2020. Symptom prevalence rates of anxiety, depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (Impact of Event Scale-6), and QoL (Short Form-12) before ICU admission (baseline), and after 3 and 12 months were measured. Additionally, associations between family and patient characteristics and mental health symptoms were calculated. Results A total of 166 out of 197 (84.3%) included family members completed the 12-month follow-up of whom 46.1% and 38.3% had mental health symptoms 3 and 12 months post-ICU, respectively; both higher compared to baseline (22.4%) ( p  < 0.001). The mental component summary score of the SF-12 was lower at 12-month follow-up compared with baseline [mean difference mental component score: − 5.5 (95% confidence interval (CI) − 7.4 to − 3.6)]. Furthermore, 27.9% experienced work-related problems. Symptoms of anxiety (odds ratio (OR) 9.23; 95% CI 2.296–37.24; p  = 0.002) and depression (OR 5.96; 95% CI 1.29–27.42; p  = 0.02) prior to ICU admission were identified as risk factors for mental health symptoms after 12 months. Conclusion A considerable proportion of family members of COVID-19 survivors reported mental health symptoms 3 and 12 months after ICU admission, disrupting QoL and creating work-related problems.