Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in people with long COVID, ME/CFS, and controls.

BACKGROUND

Prevalences of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD) have not previously been compared between individuals with long COVID and individuals with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), and healthy age-matched controls. For these reasons, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of PTSD and CPTSD in individuals with long COVID (n=21) and ME/CFS (n=20) and age-matched controls (n=20).

METHODS

A case-case-control approach was employed, participants completed the International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ), a self-report measure of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) of PTSD and CPTSD consisting of 18 items. Scores were calculated for each PTSD and Disturbances in Self-Organization (DSO) symptom cluster and summed to produce PTSD and DSO scores. PTSD was diagnosed if the criteria for PTSD were met but not DSO, and CPTSD was diagnosed if the criteria for PTSD and DSO were met. Moreover, each cluster of PTSD and DSO were compared among individuals with long COVID, ME/CFS and healthy controls.

RESULTS

Individuals with long COVID (PTSD= 5%, CPTSD= 33%) had more prevalence of PTSD and CPTSD than individuals with ME/CFS (PTSD= 0%, CPTSD= 20%) and healthy controls (PTSD= 0%, CPTSD= 0%). PTSD and CPTSD prevalence was greater in individuals with long COVID and ME/CFS than controls. Individuals with long COVID had greater values controls for all PTSD values. Moreover, individuals with long COVID had greater values than controls for all DSO values. Individuals with ME/CFS had greater values than controls for all DSO values. Both long COVID and ME/CFS groups differed in overall symptom scores compared to controls.

CONCLUSION

Findings of this study demonstrated that individuals with long COVID generally had more cases of PTSD and CPTSD than individuals with ME/CFS and healthy controls.

Informations de copyright

Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

Declaration of Competing Interest I am writing this Declaration of Competing Interest Statement on behalf of all co-authors of the manuscript titled “Prevalence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD) in people with long COVID, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), and controls: A case-case-control study”. The authors whose names are listed immediately below certify that they have NO declarations of competing interest. All co-authors have NO affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest (such as honoraria; educational grants; participation in speakers’ bureaus; membership, employment, consultancies, stock ownership, or other equity interest; and expert testimony or patent-licensing arrangements), or non-financial interest (such as personal or professional relationships, affiliations, knowledge or beliefs) in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript.