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Multicenter Study
. 2021 Mar:135:256-263.
doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.01.024. Epub 2021 Jan 21.

Post-traumatic stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms in caregivers of children tested for COVID-19 in the acute phase of the Italian outbreak

A Orsini  1 , M Corsi  2 , V Pedrinelli  3 , A Santangelo  4 , C Bertelloni  5 , V Dell'Oste  6 , D Cordelli  7 , A Perrone  8 , L Parini  9 , M Lanari  10 , G Massimetti  11 , A Bonuccelli  12 , T Foiadelli  13 , C Trabatti  14 , S Savasta  15 , G Marseglia  16 , P Striano  17 , D G Peroni  18 , L Dell'Osso  19 , C Carmassi  20
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

Post-traumatic stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms in caregivers of children tested for COVID-19 in the acute phase of the Italian outbreak

A Orsini et al. J Psychiatr Res. 2021 Mar.

Abstract

Background: The recent COVID-19 pandemic pointed out new burdens for researchers on mental health and that evidence-based (EB) studies on vulnerable populations are timely needed. The present paper aims at analysing the impact of suspicious of SARS-COV-2 infection in a cohort of parents presented at 3 major hospitals (spread between north and center of Italy) during the Italian COVID-19 pandemic phase 1.

Methods: Participants of the present cross-sectional, multicenter study were parental couples of children suspected to have COVID-19 who underwent testing with nasopharyngeal swabbing. All subjects were assessed by means of the: Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-Item (GAD-7) and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) in order to evaluate Post-traumatic stress (PTSS), anxiety, and depressive symptoms, respectively.

Outcomes: Results evidenced that parents whose children tested positive for COVID-19 were more prone to developing PTSS, anxiety and depressive symptoms. The same results emerged for parents who had quarantined as opposed to those who had not. Moreover, patients who suffered economic damage showed a higher prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms, whereas PTSS was more common among unemployed subjects and among mothers.

Interpretation: This study identified a mental health strain represented by parenting a child who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Further EB research is needed to develop evidence-driven strategies to reduce adverse psychological impacts and related psychiatric symptoms in caregivers of COVID-19 infected children during the next phases of the pandemic.

Keywords: Anxiety; COVID-19; Depression; PTSS; Parents; SARS-COV-2.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Rates of moderate/severe PTSS, anxiety and depressive symptoms in the total sample (N = 96) and rates of Children tested negative (N = 38) or positive (N = 58) for Covid-19 infection among them.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Factors influencing mental health outcomes.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Decision tree showing having a child tested positive for COVID-19 and gender interaction with PTSS symptoms as target variable (PTSS= Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms).
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Decision tree showing having a child tested positive for COVID-19 and having relative or close ones positive for COVID-19 interaction with anxiety symptoms as target variable.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Decision tree showing suffering economic damage for COVID-19 and quarantine interaction with depressive symptoms as target variable.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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