Psychological features of the rehabilitation of persons in post-COVID-19 condition

Abstract

The global medical problem has become the COVID-19 pandemic since 2019, which represents one of the most difficult medical realities. One of the crucial medical hypotheses is the effect of SARS-Cov-2 infection on mental health that requires creation of effective psychological and psychiatric management of such patients. In connection with described above, we set the task of our research to develop and test a complex of psychological interventions in the system of psychosocial rehabilitation of patients with cognitive disorders against the background of the endured SARS-Cov-2 infection. Materials and methods: The material of the study was the data obtained after passing the GAD-7 test for level of anxiety detection. The persons were divided into two groups with patients who have a history of severe acute respiratory syndrome of coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and non-suffered with coronavirus. At the end of the course of psychological rehabilitation, the GAD-7 test was repeated. Results: It was established that people who have endured COVID-19 have a significantly higher level of anxiety during examining the initial level of anxiety by performing the GAD-7 test. So, if most of the examined had a minimal level of anxiety (68%) in the control group, then after COVID-19 the majority of patients had a moderate level of anxiety (64%), and 6% even had a high level of anxiety. A month after the initial testing, the group of patients (after COVID-19) who had not undergone psychological rehabilitation was still predominantly in the zone of moderate level of anxiety (54%). Going through psychological rehabilitation had positive consequences and the majority of patients moved into the minimal level of anxiety zone (58%). Conclusions: Majority of persons who endured COVID-19 suffer moderate level of anxiety with GAD-7 test 10.12±0.43 (6.92±0.33 for non-suffered). Psychological rehabilitation could reduce it to 7.24±0.36. The data obtained in the course of the work testify to the effectiveness of conducting a complex of psychotherapeutic interventions using cognitive training, cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy in the system of psychosocial rehabilitation of patients with cognitive disorders against the background of COVID-19 with reducing level of anxiety. Results provide critical information on the efficacy of psychological rehabilitation for persons who experience persistent cognitive deficits after COVID-19.