Elevated symptoms of depression and anxiety among family members and friends of critically ill COVID-19 patients – an observational study of five cohorts across four countries

Summary

Background

Little is known regarding the mental health impact of having a significant person (family member and/or close friend) with COVID-19 of different severity.

Methods

The study included five prospective cohorts from four countries (Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and the UK) with self-reported data on COVID-19 and symptoms of depression and anxiety during March 2020–March 2022. We calculated prevalence ratios (PR) of depression and anxiety in relation to having a significant person with COVID-19 and performed a longitudinal analysis in the Swedish cohort to describe temporal patterns.

Findings

162,237 and 168,783 individuals were included in the analysis of depression and anxiety, respectively, of whom 24,718 and 27,003 reported a significant person with COVID-19. Overall, the PR was 1.07 (95% CI: 1.05–1.10) for depression and 1.08 (95% CI: 1.03–1.13) for anxiety in relation to having a significant person with COVID-19. The respective PRs for depression and anxiety were 1.15 (95% CI: 1.08–1.23) and 1.24 (95% CI: 1.14–1.34) if the patient was hospitalized, 1.42 (95% CI: 1.27–1.57) and 1.45 (95% CI: 1.31–1.60) if the patient was ICU-admitted, and 1.34 (95% CI: 1.22–1.46) and 1.36 (95% CI: 1.22–1.51) if the patient died. Individuals with a significant person with hospitalized, ICU-admitted, or fatal COVID-19 showed elevated prevalence of depression and anxiety during the entire year after the COVID-19 diagnosis.

Interpretation

Family members and close friends of critically ill COVID-19 patients show persistently elevated prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms.

Funding

This study was primarily supported by doi 10.13039/501100004785, NordForsk; (COVIDMENT, 105668) and doi 10.13039/501100007601, Horizon 2020; (CoMorMent, 847776).