Anxiety, depression more likely in 1st wave Covid-19 patients: Study

When compared to people who avoided Covid-19 in the same time period, individuals who reported having Covid in early 2020 were also 1.67 times more likely to have clinically significant levels of anxiety after 13 months.More than 3,000 UK individuals, representing a cross-section of the general public, were polled by the researchers, who were led by Professor Daryl O’Connor and Dr. Sarah Wilding of the School of Psychology at the University of Leeds.The study relied on participants self-reporting Covid-19, as limited testing was available at the beginning of the pandemic. However, the levels of reported infection are similar to two other key UK studies conducted at a similar time.They also found that having a mental health condition before the pandemic was associated with increased odds of contracting Covid-19. Possible reasons for this may include lifestyle factors such as smoking, physical health vulnerabilities linked to poor mental health, and lower levels of adherence to government Covid-19 restrictions.