Gender and age-related features of anxiety and depressive symptoms in patients in the acute phase of COVID-19.

OBJECTIVE: Aim: To investigate the gender and age characteristics of psychopathological symptoms in patients in the acute phase of respiratory infection SARS-CoV-2.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: Materials and Methods: A total of 66 patients aged 8 to 92 years, sick with COVID-19 during inpatient treatment with lung damage from 30 to 70%, confirmed radiologically, in the period up to 20 days from the onset of the disease, were examined. To assess the mental status of patients with COVID-19, we used a clinical, clinical-psychopathological, psychometric method, which included the following questionnaires as part of psychiatric screening for studying psychopathological symptoms upon admission to the hospital. The Patient Health Questionnaire - PHQ-9, The Generalised Anxiety Disorder - GAD-7, Hamilton Test were used. The research data collection period is from 2020 to 2022.

RESULTS: Results: Acute respiratory infection СОVID-19 affects the psycho-emotional state. During inpatient treatment, 60.6% of patients have symptoms of depression, 66.1% have anxiety symptoms. Most women with COVID-19 are characterized by moderate depression according to PHQ-9, mild anxiety according to GAD-7, and moderate anxiety according to Hamilton. Mild depression characterizes most men according to PHQ-9, absence of anxiety according to GAD-7, and mild anxiety according to Hamilton. Anxiety symptoms were less pronounced among men with COVID-19, with insomnia and respiratory symptoms being the most significant. Among women, anxiety (p≤0.001), tension, depression (p≤0.001), somatic muscle (p≤0.001) and respiratory symptoms (p≤0.001) predominate in the structure of anxiety during the active phase of COVID-19.

CONCLUSION: Conclusions: The data obtained will be useful in the development of psychoprophylactic measures in patients with COVID-19.