Psychological reaction to Covid-19 of Italian patients with IBD

Mariarosaria Savarese,Alessandro Armuzzi,Greta Castellini,Guendalina Graffigna,Salvatore Leone,Enrica Previtali

doi:10.1186/s40359-021-00622-6

Abstract

BackgroundPatients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may be particularly vulnerable to the effects of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) on disease management and psychological status. This study explored psychological reactions to the Covid-19 emergency and IBD disease management in a sample of Italian patients.MethodsAn online questionnaire was designed to assess general concerns, psychological reaction, disease management, socio-demographics, and clinical information with validated scales and ad hoc items. A non-probabilistic purposive sample was selected, comprised patients with IBD who belonged to the Italian Association for patients with IBD (AMICI Onlus) completed the questionnaire in April 2020. Data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics, student’s T-test for independent groups, and one-way ANOVA (Analysis of Variance).ResultsOne thousand fourteen eligible questionnaires were analyzed. Italian patients with IBD appeared to be very worried about the Covid-19 emergency (60.7%) and concerned about the risks of infection (59%). Half of the sample reported medium to high-perceived stress, and 74% had low-medium coping self-efficacy levels. One third was in a state of psychological arousal. Twenty-nine percent of patients had canceled hospital appointments for fear of contracting the virus. The majority of responders believed that belonging to the Italian Association for Patients with IBD - AMICI Onlus - is useful.ConclusionsThe results revealed that this sample of Italian patients with IBD lived with medium level of stress and with inadequate coping self-efficacy regarding disease management. Accordingly, Covid-19 may affect self-management behaviors. Therefore, national and regional associations for patients with IBD, should largely support these patients in this emergency.

Highlights

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may be vulnerable to the effects of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) on disease management and psychological status
Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) is a viral respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus 2019 (2019nCoV) originating from bats [1]
People with a chronic disease, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), are vulnerable because they must change their daily habits dramatically and eventually modify their disease management to adapt to the emergency [6]

Summary

Introduction

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may be vulnerable to the effects of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) on disease management and psychological status. This study explored psychological reactions to the Covid-19 emergency and IBD disease management in a sample of Italian patients. These recommendations had a disruptive effect on people’s lifestyles, requiring all to modify their daily habits These measures—together with the uncertainty of the health emergency—had emotional and psychological consequences, challenging people’s abilities to cope with the stressful situation [5]. It is known to alter the socalled “brain-gut axis,” [13] a link between the central nervous system and the enteric nervous system, which can be exacerbated by high impact stressful events, such as Covid-19 [5, 14] In this situation, patients’ psychological abilities to cope with such stressful events are protective factors that help improve outcomes [15, 16]. Few Italian studies have mapped patients’ reactions to the Covid-19 emergency, despite the illness being challenging in this country

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Conclusion