Comparative Study of Stress Response to COVID-19 and Coping in Patients of Depression and Anxiety Disorder

Abstract

Objective: Seeing the fatality of the COVID-19 pandemic, stress response is quite expected in the general population and in psychiatric patients. Although studies regarding the same have been done on the general population, not many studies are available on patients having psychiatric illnesses. This study aimed to assess the stress response to COVID-19 and coping in patients with depression and anxiety and compare it with healthy controls.

Methods: About 41 patients suffering from anxiety and depression and 41 age and gender-matched healthy controls aged 18 to 60 years were included in the study. HAM-D was used to rate depression and HAM-A for anxiety. COVID stress scale and fear of COVID-19 scale were used to assess COVID stress. Cope inventory CARVER (Hindi translated version) was used to see how people responded to COVID stress.

Results: Fear of COVID-19 and COVID stress scale scores were significantly higher in the anxiety group than in the control group. Also, adaptive coping, including the use of instrumental social support, positive reinterpretation and growth, restraint, suppression of competing activities, active coping, acceptance, planning, use of emotional and social support, and humor, was used more by healthy controls. Patients suffering from depression used significantly more denial than the other two groups. Those suffering from anxiety used more focus on venting emotion and behavioral disengagement than the other two groups.

Conclusion: COVID stress was more common among those suffering from anxiety. Adaptive coping was used more by the healthy control group.