Investigating predictors of post-traumatic stress disorder in patients with covid-19 discharged from the hospital

The psychological effects of Covid-19 can be devastating and life threatening, even after recovery. One of the complications is the post-traumatic stress disorder. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the symptoms of PTSD and its predictors in patients with Covid-19 patients discharged from the hospital. 

The present study was a descriptive cross-sectional correlational study performed on patients with Covid-19 discharged from Imam Khomeini Hospital affiliated to Urmia University of Medical Sciences in the second half of 2021.270 patients were selected through simple random sampling method based on inclusion criteria. Patients' demographic questionnaires and post-traumatic stress disorder (PCL) were used to collect data.

59.3% of the patients were female and 57.8% married. 46.3% had university education. 35.9% of them were housewives and 94.8% of the patients had insurance. Fever (69.3%), hypoxia (69.3%), cough (68.5%) and shortness of breath (64.4%) were the most common symptoms of Covid-19 disease. The mean of post-traumatic stress disorder was 40.25 ± 5.98 (moderate) and fever, cough, diabetes, death of relatives and tracheostomy were the most important factors associated with post-traumatic stress disorder in patients recovering from Covid-19 disease.

The rate of post-traumatic stress disorder in patients recovering from Covid-19 disease was moderate, which requires nurses to follow up on these patients even after discharge from hospital and recovery. Also, in caring for and performing appropriate interventions for these patients, be sure to pay attention to the factors related to the severity of this complication.