The Effect of Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention Package on Improving Fear Symptoms, Quality of Life and Psychological Health in Patients with COVID-19

Seyed Salman Alavi; Maryam Ghanizadeh; Hossein Gharaati Sotoudeh; Mohammad Reza Mohammadi; Fereshteh  Jannatifard; Ali Khaleghi

doi:10.18502/jimc.v7i2.15042

Seyed Salman Alavi Psychiatry and Psychology Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Maryam Ghanizadeh Counseling Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
Hossein Gharaati Sotoudeh Psychiatry and Psychology Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Mohammad Reza Mohammadi Psychiatry and Psychology Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Fereshteh Jannatifard Ministry of Education, Tehran, Iran
Ali Khaleghi Psychiatry and Psychology Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/jimc.v7i2.15042

Keywords: Anxiety, COVID-19, Depression, Mental disorders

Abstract

Background: COVID-19 had a destructive effect on human’s life. People with COVID-19 experienced high levels of depression, anxiety, and low Quality of Life (QOL). The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the cognitive-behavioral intervention package on reducing stress, depression, and anxiety, as well as improving the QOL of patients with COVID-19.

Methods: In this randomized controlled trial, 60 patients with COVID-19 who entered the isolation ward were included and randomly divided into control and experimental groups. The experimental group entered the intervention sessions once a week for 45 minutes for eight consecutive weeks. The intervention consisted of 8 sessions of CBT which was implemented for the experimental group. Patients in the control group received routine care during this period. DASS₂₁, the Symptom Checklist (SCL-90), Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S), and WHO-QOL were used to measure patients’ mental health and QOL. Data analysis was performed with ANCOVA using SPSS24 software.

Results: There was no significant difference between groups in terms of DASS₂₁, SCL-90 and QOL before intervention (p<0.05). After intervention, depression symptom and QOL were significantly improved in the experimental group compared to control group (p< 0.05). Accordingly, the findings stated the session of intervention was effective in improving the QOL (p<0.05) and mental illnesses (p<0.05) in patients with COVID-19.

Conclusion: Our designed cognitive-behavioral intervention package can enhance the awareness and mental health of patients with COVID-19. This package as an auxiliary treatment can reduce anxiety/depression and improve QOL in patients with COVID-19. Therefore, our intervention package can serve as a useful solution for clinical settings to reduce mental health problems during crisis.