Table_1_Factors associated with prolonged COVID-related PTSD-like symptoms among adults diagnosed with mild COVID-19 in Poland.pdf

COVID-19 has been considered a possible cause of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or similar conditions. However, what specific disease symptoms may contribute most to prolonged PTSD-like symptoms in COVID-19 survivors is unclear. The study aimed to present the factor structure of COVID-19 symptoms and identify which symptoms of COVID-19 best explain the subsequent presence of PTSD-like symptoms in mild COVID-19 survivors. COVID-positive adults (n = 341) completed online self-report scales at the baseline assessment (T1) and after approximately 4 months (T2), including The Patient Health Questionnaire Anxiety-Depression Scale; The Scale of Psychosocial Experience Related to COVID-19, The Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5; and self-designed questionnaires evaluating the severity of COVID-related medical and neurocognitive symptoms and pre-pandemic variables. Exploratory factor analysis revealed five factors of COVID-19 symptoms: flu-like, respiratory, cold, neurological, and neurocognitive. Hierarchical logistic regression showed that besides selected control variables (anxiety and depression, presence of PTSD-like symptoms, COVID-related stigma in T1), neurocognitive symptoms of COVID-19 in T1 but not other symptoms of the disease were a significant predictor of the presence of PTSD-like symptom in T2. Findings suggest a need for a comprehensive neurocognitive assessment of people diagnosed with COVID-19 and prompt interventions targeting the prevention of potential risks for long-term PTSD-like states at the community level.

新型冠状病毒肺炎（COVID-19）被认为是创伤后应激障碍（post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD）或类似病症的潜在诱因之一。但目前尚不明确，新冠感染者的哪些具体病症表现最易导致其出现长期类PTSD症状。
本研究旨在剖析新冠感染症状的因子结构，并识别轻症新冠感染者中，哪些新冠症状最能解释后续出现的类PTSD症状。
本研究共纳入341名新冠病毒检测阳性的成年受试者，受试者分别在基线评估（T1）以及约4个月后的随访评估（T2）完成线上自报告量表填写，所用量表包括：《患者健康问卷焦虑抑郁量表》、《新冠相关社会心理体验量表》、《DSM-5版初级保健PTSD筛查量表》，以及用于评估新冠相关躯体与神经认知症状严重程度、疫情前相关变量的自制问卷。
探索性因子分析显示，新冠感染症状可划分为五大因子：流感样症状、呼吸系统症状、感冒样症状、神经系统症状以及神经认知症状。
分层逻辑回归分析结果表明，在控制选定的混杂变量（T1时的焦虑抑郁状态、类PTSD症状存在情况、新冠相关污名化程度）后，仅T1时的新冠神经认知症状，而非其他类型的新冠症状，可显著预测T2时类PTSD症状的出现。
本研究结果提示，需对确诊新冠的人群开展全面的神经认知评估，并在社区层面推动针对性干预措施，以预防长期类PTSD状态的潜在风险。