Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Dec 18;12(1):53.
doi: 10.1186/s40560-024-00765-9.

Long-term prevalence of PTSD symptom in family members of severe COVID-19 patients: a serial follow-up study extending to 18 months after ICU discharge

Nobuyuki Nosaka  1   2 , Ayako Noguchi  3   4 , Takashi Takeuchi  5 , Kenji Wakabayashi  3   6
Affiliations

Long-term prevalence of PTSD symptom in family members of severe COVID-19 patients: a serial follow-up study extending to 18 months after ICU discharge

Nobuyuki Nosaka et al. J Intensive Care. .

Abstract

Background: Experiencing a loved one's stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) can profoundly affect families, often leading to post-intensive care syndrome-family (PICS-F), a condition particularly exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. While PICS-F significantly impacts the mental health of families of ICU patients, especially in the context of COVID-19, the long-term effects beyond 12 months remain understudied. This study aims to explore the prevalence of PTSD-related symptoms and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in family members up to 18 months after ICU discharge.

Methods: This prospective study, conducted in a tertiary university hospital in Tokyo, enrolled family members of severe COVID-19 ICU patients (July 2020 to June 2022 with final follow-up ending in December 2023). The primary outcome was family member symptoms of PTSD at 6, 12 and 18 months after ICU discharge, measured by the Impact of Events Scale-Revised (presence of PTSD symptoms defined by score > 24). Secondary outcomes were family member symptoms of anxiety and depression, sleep disorders, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) at the same timepoint.

Results: Among 97 enrolled family members, 68 participated. At least one PTSD-related symptom was reported by 26% of family members, persisting over 18 months post-discharge (16% at 6 months, 23% at 12 months, and 25% at 18 months). A subgroup (15%) exhibited delayed-onset PTSD symptoms. Family members with PTSD-related symptoms reported lower HRQOL, especially in mental and social components.

Conclusions: The study underscores the importance of long-term support for family members post-ICU discharge, given the sustained prevalence of PTSD-related symptoms among family members of severe COVID-19 patients.

Keywords: COVID 19; Family (PICSF); Health Related quality of life (HRQOL); Intensive care unit (ICU); Post Intensive care syndrome; Post Traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: This study was approved by the Tokyo Medical and Dental University Review Board (M2021-334). Written informed consent was obtained from all the family participants who responded to the initial survey questionnaire. For the corresponding patient information, the requirement for written informed consent was waived (opt-out) by the Institutional Review Board due to the retrospective study design. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: Nobuyuki Nosaka received a research grant from Sharp Corporation, Osaka, Japan, for this study.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Survey strategy (A) and selection of family members for the study (B). NR: no response
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Time plot of IES-R scores in each patient according to symptom onset period. There were 6, 5, and 22 family members in the early-onset, the delayed-onset, and the asymptomatic group, respectively
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Petrinec AB, Daly BJ. Post-traumatic stress symptoms in post-ICU family members: review and methodological challenges. West J Nurs Res. 2016;38(1):57–78. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Jones C, Skirrow P, Griffiths RD, Humphris G, Ingleby S, Eddleston J, et al. Post-traumatic stress disorder-related symptoms in relatives of patients following intensive care. Intensive Care Med. 2004;30(3):456–60. - PubMed
    1. Needham DM, Davidson J, Cohen H, Hopkins RO, Weinert C, Wunsch H, et al. Improving long-term outcomes after discharge from intensive care unit: report from a stakeholders’ conference. Crit Care Med. 2012;40(2):502–9. - PubMed
    1. Davidson JE, Jones C, Bienvenu OJ. Family response to critical illness: postintensive care syndrome-family. Crit Care Med. 2012;40(2):618–24. - PubMed
    1. Inoue S, Hatakeyama J, Kondo Y, Hifumi T, Sakuramoto H, Kawasaki T, et al. Post-intensive care syndrome: its pathophysiology, prevention, and future directions. Acute Med Surg. 2019;6(3):233–46. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources