Immediate psychological distress in quarantined patients with COVID-19 and its association with peripheral inflammation: A mixed-method study

• Published in: Brain, behavior, and immunity behavior, and immunity, 2020-08, Vol.88, p.17-27
• Main Authors: Guo, Qian, Zheng, Yuchen, Shi, Jia, Wang, Jijun, Li, Guanjun, Li, Chunbo, Fromson, John A., Xu, Yong, Liu, Xiaohua, Xu, Hua, Zhang, Tianhong, Lu, Yunfei, Chen, Xiaorong, Hu, Hao, Tang, Yingying, Yang, Shuwen, Zhou, Han, Wang, Xiaoliang, Chen, Haiying, Wang, Zhen, Yang, Zongguo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Anxiety - immunology; Anxiety - psychology; Betacoronavirus; Blood Sedimentation; C-Reactive Protein - immunology; Case-Control Studies; Coronavirus Infections - immunology; Coronavirus Infections - psychology; COVID-19; Cross-Sectional Studies; Depression; Depression - immunology; Depression - psychology; Female; Hospitalization; Humans; Inflammation - immunology; Leukocyte Count; Male; Middle Aged; Mixed-method; Pandemics; Patient Health Questionnaire; Peripheral inflammation; Pneumonia, Viral - immunology; Pneumonia, Viral - psychology; Procalcitonin - immunology; Psychological Distress; Quarantine - psychology; SARS-CoV-2; Sex Factors; Stress; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - immunology; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - psychology; Stress, Psychological - immunology; Stress, Psychological - psychology
• ISSN: 0889-1591; 1090-2139
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2020.05.038

•Considerable portion of COVID-19 patients presented depression and anxiety symptoms.•CRP levels correlated with the scores of PHQ-9 in patients with depression features.•The more improvement of CRP level resulted in lower level of depression.•Stigma and uncertainty of the disease were two main concerns among COVID-19 patients. Since the end of 2019, Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been the cause of a worldwide pandemic. The mental status of patients with COVID-19 who have been quarantined and the interactions between their psychological distress and physiological levels of inflammation have yet to be analyzed. Using a mixed-method triangulation design (QUAN + QUAL), this study investigated and compared the mental status and inflammatory markers of 103 patients who, while hospitalized with mild symptoms, tested positive with COVID-19 and 103 matched controls that were COVID-19 negative. The severity of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) was measured via an on-line survey. Using a convenience sampling technique, qualitative data were collected until the point of data saturation. In addition, a semi-structured interview was conducted among five patients with COVID-19. Peripheral inflammatory markers were also collected in patients, both at baseline and within ± three days of completing the on-line survey. Results revealed that COVID-19 patients, when compared to non-COVID controls, manifested higher levels of depression (P