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The aim of the present study was to establish a single-arm group psychotherapy and to evaluate its clinical effectiveness in long COVID patients.
This study took place at the Cantonal Hospital St.Gallen, a tertiary care hospital in Eastern Switzerland, and included data collection between November 2021 and January 2024. During this time span, the same licensed psychotherapist conducted the group psychotherapy six times in total with a maximum of nine patients each. Each of the six groups had one-hour group therapy sessions weekly within eight consecutive weeks. During the study period, the group psychotherapy was part of a more comprehensive treatment for long COVID as all patients primarily received active pacing therapy.
The investigators implemented cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) elements into group psychotherapy and focused on fatigue, insomnia, depression, anxiety, somatic symptoms, psychotraumatology, and quality of life as psychosomatic outcome measures (pre- and post-interventional).
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| Label | Type | Description | Intervention Names |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intervention (Group Psychotherapy) | Experimental |
|
| Name | Type | Description | Arm Group Labels | Other Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group Psychotherapy | Behavioral | Group psychotherapy based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) elements |
|
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Change of Fatigue Score measured with the Questionnaire "FSS" (Fatigue Severity Scale) from baseline to 8 weeks | 9 is equivalent to no fatigue and 63 indicates the worst possible fatigue. | From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks |
| Change of Insomnia Score measured with the Questionnaire "ISI" (Insomnia Severity Index) from baseline to 8 weeks | 0 is equivalent to no insomnia and 28 indicates the worst possible insomnia. | From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks |
| Change of Quality of Life and Current Health Status measured with the Questionnaire "EQ-5D-5L" (European Quality of Life 5 Dimensions 5 Level Version) from baseline to 8 weeks | 0 (and -0.59) is equivalent to the lowest quality of life (and current health) and 100 (and 1) indicates the best possible quality of life (and current health) | From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks |
| Change of Depression and Anxiety Score measured with the Questionnaire "HADS" (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) from baseline to 8 weeks | 0 is equivalent to no depression/anxiety and 21 indicates the worst possible depression/anxiety. | From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks |
| Change of Depression, Anxiety, and Somatic Symptom Scores measured with the Questionnaire "PHQ-SADS" (Patient Health Questionnaire) from baseline to 8 weeks | 0 is equivalent to no depression/anxiety/somatic symptoms and 30 indicates the worst possible depression/anxiety/somatic symptoms. | From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks |
| Change of Psychotraumatology Score measured with the Questionnaire "IES-R" (Impact of Event Scale-revised) from baseline to 8 weeks |
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Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
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| Facility | Status | City | State | ZIP | Country | Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, Cantonal Hospital St.Gallen, Switzerland | Sankt Gallen | Canton of St. Gallen | 9007 | Switzerland |
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
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| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D000094024 | Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome |
| D000086382 | COVID-19 |
| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D011024 | Pneumonia, Viral |
| D011014 | Pneumonia |
| D012141 | Respiratory Tract Infections |
| D007239 | Infections |
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| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D011615 | Psychotherapy, Group |
| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D012960 | Socioenvironmental Therapy |
| D011613 | Psychotherapy |
| D004191 | Behavioral Disciplines and Activities |
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-4.36 is equivalent to no psychotraumatology (no suspected PTSD) and 2.99 indicates the worst possible psychotraumatology (suspected PTSD). A score equally or greater than zero (cut-off point) indicates suspected PTSD. |
| From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks |
| D014777 |
| Virus Diseases |
| D018352 | Coronavirus Infections |
| D003333 | Coronaviridae Infections |
| D030341 | Nidovirales Infections |
| D012327 | RNA Virus Infections |
| D008171 | Lung Diseases |
| D012140 | Respiratory Tract Diseases |
| D000094025 | Post-Infectious Disorders |
| D002908 | Chronic Disease |
| D020969 | Disease Attributes |
| D010335 | Pathologic Processes |
| D013568 | Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms |