Peritraumatic Distress Affected the Course of Depressive Symptoms During the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown in Subjects with Affective and Anxiety Disorders

TL;DR

This study found that peritraumatic distress during the pandemic lockdown was linked to worsening depressive symptoms in people with mental health disorders.

Contribution

The study shows how peritraumatic distress during the pandemic uniquely affects the course of depressive symptoms.

Findings

Higher peritraumatic distress scores predicted persistent or worsening depressive symptoms.

Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression at two time points.

The study highlights the impact of global health threats on mental health outcomes.

Abstract

In western countries, the COVID-19 pandemic represented a unique scenario of a global threat of contagion of a life-threatening illness, as confirmed by the need for exceptional and never adopted measures represented by national lockdowns. This study aimed to investigate peritraumatic distress in the framework of the lockdown and to measure the impact on the course of depressive symptoms during the “first wave” of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy. A sample of 131 subjects (52.7% females; mean age 47.0 ± 15.9 years), looking for a first or follow-up psychiatric visit at the outpatient psychiatric services of two Italian university hospitals, was recruited between 1 June 2020 and 30 July 2020 and assessed by the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D) and the Peritraumatic Distress Inventory (PDI) at the time of enrolment in the study (T0). The HAM-D was administered again after 3 months (T1). Higher PDI scores significantly predicted the persistence or worsening of depressive symptoms. These results give further evidence of the possible interplay between peritraumatic distress and depressive symptoms in the framework of a global health threat such as the COVID-19 pandemic.