Interventions to support mental health in people with long COVID: a scoping review

Al-Jabr, Hiyam; Hawke, Lisa D.; Thompson, David R.; Clifton, Andrew; Shenton, Mark; Castle, David J.; Ski, Chantal F.

Abstract

Introduction
Long COVID (LC) is a multisystem disease with symptoms lasting weeks or months beyond the acute COVID-19 infection. Several manifestations are reported by people with LC, including effects on mental health, with varying degrees of psychological distress and disturbances to daily activities. Research conducted to identify effective interventions to support mental health among people with LC has been limited by the breadth and scope of studies.

Aim
This review aims to identify interventions being tested to support mental health of people with LC.

Methods
A scoping review was conducted by searching five databases for articles published between January 2020 and early October 2022 to identify research evaluating interventions focused on improving mental health symptoms associated with LC. Results from all sources were checked for eligibility by two reviewers, and agreements were resolved by discussion. Gray literature and reference list of included studies and relevant reviews were scrutinised to identify any additional studies. Data extraction was conducted by one reviewer and checked by another reviewer for accuracy.

Results
Of the 940 studies identified, 17 were included, the design of which varied but included mainly case studies (n = 6) and clinical trials (n = 5). Several interventions were described, ranging from single interventions (e.g., pharmacologic) to more holistic, comprehensive suites of services (pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic). Several mental health outcomes were measured, mostly anxiety and depression. All included studies were reported to be associated with improvements in participants’ mental health outcomes.

Conclusion
This scoping review identified studies reporting on a variety of interventions to support mental health among people with LC. Although positive changes were reported by all studies, some were case studies and thus their findings must be interpreted with caution. There is a need for more research to be conducted to identify the impact of interventions on mental health of people with LC.

Citation

Al-Jabr, H., Hawke, L. D., Thompson, D. R., Clifton, A., Shenton, M., Castle, D. J., & Ski, C. F. (in press). Interventions to support mental health in people with long COVID: a scoping review. BMC Public Health, 23(1), https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-16079-8

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 8, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Jun 20, 2023
• Deposit Date: Nov 14, 2023
• Journal: BMC Public Health
• Publisher: Springer Verlag
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 23
• Issue: 1
• Series ISSN: 1471-2458
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-16079-8
• Keywords: Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
• Additional Information: Received: 9 February 2023; Accepted: 8 June 2023; First Online: 20 June 2023; : ; : Not applicable; : Not applicable; : The authors declare no competing interests.