A - 122 Coronavirus Anxiety, Mood, and Subjective Cognition in Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-10.

Abstract

Coronavirus anxiety (CA) is associated with depression, general anxiety, and subjective cognitive dysfunction (SCD) in community samples. Furthermore, individuals with SARS-CoV-2 infection (acute & post-acute) report greater CA and SCD. No study to date has examined CA in patients diagnosed with post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC). We evaluated the prevalence of CA amongst individuals diagnosed with PASC and its associations with mood and SCD. Participants were 72 patients diagnosed with PASC [M age = 48.8 ± 11.9years, 72.2% female, 93.1% White] who were referred for clinical neuropsychological evaluation between May 2021 and February 2023. Participants completed the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS; range = 0-20, clinical cutoff: ≥9), BDI-II, BAI, BRIEF-A, and Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory (NSI). Overall, CAS scores were low (M = 1.29, SD = 2.69, 4.2% clinically elevated). In contrast, depression scores were high (M = 23.2, SD = 11.2, 72.2% clinically elevated), as were anxiety scores (M = 19.7, SD = 12.2, 72.2% clinically elevated). CAS scores tended to decline over the course of the study; however, scores on the BDI-II or BAI did not. Higher CAS scores were associated with higher scores on the BDI-II (rs = 0.344, p = 0.005), BAI (rs = 0.321, p = 0.009), and BRIEF-A Global Executive Composite (rs = 0.407, p = 0.001) but not for the NSI Cognitive Factor (rs = 0.139, p = 0.256). Findings suggest clinically significant CA is not particularly prevalent in individuals with PASC, but perhaps is more salient for acute infection. Results also highlight the presence of clinically elevated psychiatric distress in patients with PASC and the need for proper screening and intervention.