# Anxiety in Hospitalized Patients With Mild COVID-19 Before and After Psychological Intervention: A Retrospective Study

## TL;DR

Hospitalized patients with mild COVID-19 often experience anxiety, but a seven-day psychological intervention significantly reduced anxiety levels.

## Contribution

Demonstrates the effectiveness of structured psychological intervention in reducing anxiety among hospitalized mild COVID-19 patients.

## Key findings

- 90% of patients showed mild anxiety after seven days of psychological intervention, down from 36% at admission.
- Severe anxiety completely resolved after the intervention.
- No significant association was found between baseline anxiety severity and age, sex, or comorbidities.

## Abstract

Background and objective

Hospitalization for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is frequently associated with psychological distress. Anxiety can develop due to isolation, fear of disease progression, uncertainty regarding recovery, and disruption of normal social support networks. Early recognition of anxiety and implementation of structured psychological interventions during hospitalization may help reduce distress and improve patient well-being. This study aimed to evaluate the severity of anxiety at hospital admission and after seven days of structured psychological intervention among patients hospitalized with mild COVID-19.

Methods

This retrospective observational study included 100 patients hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed mild COVID-19. Anxiety severity was assessed using the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) at admission (Day 0) and after seven days of psychological intervention (Day 7). Anxiety was categorized as mild (≤16), moderate (17-24), or severe (≥25). Changes in anxiety scores were analyzed, and associations between baseline anxiety severity and age, sex, and comorbidity status were assessed using the chi-square test.

Results

At admission, 36 (36%) patients had mild anxiety, 36 (36%) had moderate anxiety, and 28 (28%) had severe anxiety. The mean HAM-A score was 19.78 ± 10.94. After seven days of psychological intervention, 90 (90%) patients had mild anxiety and 10 (10%) had moderate anxiety, with complete resolution of severe anxiety. The mean HAM-A score decreased to 8.01 ± 5.62, representing a mean reduction of 11.77 points (59.5%). No statistically significant association was observed between baseline anxiety severity and age, sex, or comorbidity status (p>0.05).

Conclusions

Anxiety is common among patients hospitalized with mild COVID-19. In our cohort, structured psychological intervention during hospitalization was associated with significant short-term improvement in anxiety severity.