Psychological Predictors of Self-reported COVID-19 Outcomes: Results From a Prospective Cohort Study, 2022, Ayling, Chalder et al

Abstract
Background
Previous research has shown that psychological factors, such as stress and social support, are associated with greater susceptibility to viral respiratory illnesses and more severe symptoms. During the COVID-19 pandemic there has been a well-documented deterioration in psychological well-being and increased social isolation. This raises questions as to whether those experiencing psychological adversity during the pandemic are more at risk of contracting and/or experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.

Purpose
To examine the relationship between psychological factors and the risk of COVID-19 self-reported infection and the symptomatic experience of SARS-CoV-2 (indicated by the number and severity of symptoms).

Methods
As part of a longitudinal prospective observational cohort study, 1,087 adults completed validated measures of psychological well-being during April 2020 and self-reported incidence of COVID-19 infection and symptom experience across the pandemic through to December 2020. Regression models were used to explore these relationships controlling for demographic and occupational factors.

Results
Greater psychological distress during the early phase of the pandemic was significantly associated with subsequent self-reported SARS-CoV-2 infection as well as the experience of a greater number and more severe symptoms.

Conclusions
COVID-19 infection and symptoms may be more common among those experiencing elevated psychological distress. Further research to elucidate the mechanisms underlying these associations is needed.

https://academic.oup.com/abm/advance-article/doi/10.1093/abm/kaab106/6494327

 

Study finds stress linked to increased risk of getting COVID-19

https://www.unitedkingdomnews.net/n...-linked-to-increased-risk-of-getting-covid-19

eta:
see also
https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/news/s...ncreased-risk-of-getting-covid-19-study-finds

 

Did she mean that the patients were somatizing before even getting COVID, which basically allows her to send out the psych dogs to all to actually prevent COVID?

 

Eventually they will say that symptomatic covid infection doesn't exist, it is just psychosomatic, caused by pandemic-related distress in people who are psychologically prone to it. That would be awesome, finally it would be obvious to the whole world how BPS ideology is more of a religion than anything else.

(sarcasm)

 

I find it interesting that this paper is going for a "stress increases susceptibility to infection" angle. Maybe Chalder has quietly changed her views due to the pandemic demonstrating so clearly that postinfectious syndromes are real?

I find it plausible that an association with "increased distress" and "covid infection" would exist and there are some very simple possible explanations for this, like working a job with increased risk of infection and knowing about the risk. Consider healthcare workers for example.

I think there have already been various papers on how people with lower socioeconomic status are more impacted by the pandemic and also have higher infection risk.

 

Can someone please sack these people and spend the money that becomes available on doing biomedical research. These people are simply a waste of funding and air.

 

Not even half as scientific as reading tripes. It's going to get heavily promoted for a few weeks then promptly forgotten as the mediocre nonsense that it is.

 

unless you work at number 10; maybe the solution is cheese and wine gatherings.

 

And what if the solution is not changing cognitions to reduce stress but to change some external social factors contributing to stress. Is Chalder up for that?

 

Like giving proper protective equipment to healthcare workers and not underfunding hospitals?

 

That would be a beginning.

 

All they are measuring is a correlation between symptom-answering behaviour before COVID and afterwards.

Symptom questionnaire responses are not the same as symptom experiences, despite so many people acting as if they are the same.