Prevalence and Factors Associated with Depression and Anxiety of Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19

Yuchao Dong; Tong Su; Piqi Jiao; Xiangyu Kong; Kailian Zheng; Min Tang; Fanyang Kong; Jiahuan Zhou; Le Diao; Shouxin Wu

In the present study, it is worthy of note that social support is one of the key factors linked to anxiety and depression for patients with COVID-19 ( Table 4 ). As the results displayed that less social support was correlated with more anxious and depressive symptoms ( Table 2) . Mounts of studies have demonstrated that in the case of disease, patients need more social support, which included physical and psychological assistance provided by family members, friends, medical workers, and relevant institutions to cope with difficulty 11 . There is consistent evidence which showed that social isolation and loneliness were linked to worse mental health outcomes 12 . While during the COVID-19 epidemic, many isolated patients often felt helpless and lonely due to the lack of family or friends accompany. In the circumstances, medical workers as the major peer support that is of great significance to infected patients. In clinical practice, Chinese medical members would keep in touch with patients and try various psychological support methods to help isolated patients rebuild confidence. In some Wuhan makeshift hospitals, patients with mild symptoms did Tai Chi practice (which has been verified as an effective way to improve lung function for COPD patients 13 ), singing and dancing as physical relax, accompanied and guided by medical staff. This kind of doctor-patient interaction may encourage patients to stay positive mindset.