Background <p>In addition to the physical symptoms, long COVID can cause considerable psychological burden.</p> Aims <p>To investigate the association of long COVID with depressive symptoms, loneliness, perceived social isolation and life satisfaction (also stratified by sex).</p> Methods <p>Data from the most recent eighth wave of the nationally representative German Ageing Survey was used, encompassing community-dwelling individuals 43 years to 90 years, <i>n</i> = 4,017 individuals in the analytic sample). Psychometrically sound tools were used to quantify the outcomes. Physician-diagnosed long COVID was used as independent variable. Adjusted (weighted) linear regressions with cluster-robust standard errors were used. Robustness checks were conducted.</p> Results <p>Regressions adjusted for sociodemographic and lifestyle-related covariates showed that individuals with long COVID had consistently worse psychosocial outcomes compared to individuals without long COVID. However, after additionally adjusting for health-related covariates, only the association between long COVID and perceived social isolation remained significant (β = 0.29, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001). Stratified by sex, long COVID was significantly associated with higher social isolation scores among women (β = 0.37, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001), but not among men in the fully adjusted models.</p> Discussion <p>Even after adjusting for a wide array of covariates, findings suggest that (female) individuals with long COVID have stronger feelings of not belonging to the society (compared to individuals without long COVID).</p> Conclusions <p>It may be beneficial to find ways to help such individuals feel included in society.</p>

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Long COVID and psychosocial factors among middle-aged and older adults. Results of the nationally representative German Ageing Survey

  • André Hajek,
  • Christine Blome,
  • Dong Keon Yon,
  • Pinar Soysal,
  • Razak M. Gyasi,
  • Karl Peltzer,
  • Supa Pengpid,
  • Hans-Helmut König

摘要

Background

In addition to the physical symptoms, long COVID can cause considerable psychological burden.

Aims

To investigate the association of long COVID with depressive symptoms, loneliness, perceived social isolation and life satisfaction (also stratified by sex).

Methods

Data from the most recent eighth wave of the nationally representative German Ageing Survey was used, encompassing community-dwelling individuals 43 years to 90 years, n = 4,017 individuals in the analytic sample). Psychometrically sound tools were used to quantify the outcomes. Physician-diagnosed long COVID was used as independent variable. Adjusted (weighted) linear regressions with cluster-robust standard errors were used. Robustness checks were conducted.

Results

Regressions adjusted for sociodemographic and lifestyle-related covariates showed that individuals with long COVID had consistently worse psychosocial outcomes compared to individuals without long COVID. However, after additionally adjusting for health-related covariates, only the association between long COVID and perceived social isolation remained significant (β = 0.29, p < 0.001). Stratified by sex, long COVID was significantly associated with higher social isolation scores among women (β = 0.37, p < 0.001), but not among men in the fully adjusted models.

Discussion

Even after adjusting for a wide array of covariates, findings suggest that (female) individuals with long COVID have stronger feelings of not belonging to the society (compared to individuals without long COVID).

Conclusions

It may be beneficial to find ways to help such individuals feel included in society.