Feasibility and preliminary efficacy of brief tele-psychotherapy for COVID-19 patients and their first-degree relatives

Abstract

Background: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic compromised the mental health of COVID-19 patients and their family members. Due to social distancing and lockdown measures, a remote, tele-psychotherapy program for former or current COVID-19 patients and their relatives was implemented.

Objective: The primary goal of this project was to evaluate intervention feasibility. The secondary aim was to assess the impact of the intervention by means of pre-post psychological changes.

Methods: After a phone-based eligibility screening and remote neuropsychological testing, participants completed online self-reports assessing baseline COVID-related psychopathology. Next, participants attended eight tele-psychotherapy sessions. After treatment, the online self-reports were completed again.

Results: Of 104 enrolled participants, 88 completed the intervention (84.6 % completion rate). Significant pre-post improvements were observed for generalized anxiety (d = 0.38), depression (d = 0.37), insomnia (d = 0.43), post-traumatic psychopathology (d = 0.54), and general malaise (d = 0.31). Baseline cluster analysis revealed a subgroup of 41 subjects (47.6 %) with no psychopathology, and a second subgroup of 45 subject (52.3 %) with moderate severity. Thirty-three percent of the second group reached full symptom remission, while 66 % remained symptomatic after treatment.

Conclusions: Remote brief tele-psychotherapy for COVID-19 patients and their first-degree relatives is feasible and preliminary efficacious at reducing COVID-related psychopathology in a subgroup of patients. Further research is needed to investigate distinct profiles of treatment response.

Keywords: COVID-19; Telemedicine; Telepsychiatry.