The Impact of the COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2 Disease) on Psychopathology
Condition: Psychosis;Schizophrenic; Personality Disorders; Mood Disorders; Anxiety Disorders; Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
MeSH terms: Stress Disorders, Traumatic; Anxiety Disorders; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic; Personality Disorders; Mood Disorders
Study type: Observational

Summary: 
      The outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic may be considered a traumatic phenomenon.

      In a sample of subjects suffering from different psychiatric disorders, psychopathological
      status and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms over time are assessed using
      specific psychometric scales. In a sample of healthy controls PTSD symptoms are evaluated by
      Impact of Event Scale Revised (IES-R) and compared to patients' scores.

      We hypothesize that a significant number of psychiatric outpatients have experienced a
      clinical psychopathological worsening and a greater prevalence of PTSD symptoms compared to
      the general population. The study of the potential psychopathological changes could represent
      a useful contribution to deepen the understanding of psychological consequences of the
      pandemic.
    

Detailed description: 
      SARS-CoV-2 epidemic is a worldwide phenomenon which generated fear, anxiety, depression and
      PTSD symptoms, as a consequence of the high number of deaths and the restricted measures
      adopted by the Italian Government to stem the spread of the virus.

      The aims of the study are: (1) to investigate potential psychopathological changes over time
      in a sample of patients affected by different psychiatric disorders (schizophrenia, bipolar
      disorder, major depression, anxiety/Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), personality
      disorders); (2) to compare patients and healthy controls in terms of post-traumatic symptoms.

      Outpatients affected by different psychiatric disorders are recruited during their routine
      visits and demographic/clinical variables are collected from their medical records.

      Psychopathological status and PTSD symptoms are retrospectively assessed using specific
      psychometric scales, such as Brief Psychiatry Rating Scale (BPRS), Clinical Global Impression
      (CGI), Disability Scale (DISS), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A), Hamilton Depression
      Rating Scale (HAM-D), Montgomery and Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), Young Mania
      Rating Scale (YMRS), Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS), IES-R.

      The assessment is performed over time at three time points: T0 corresponding to the outbreak
      of the pandemic (January-February 2020), T1 which was the lockdown period (March-April 2020)
      and T2 corresponding to the reopening and restarting (May-June 2020).

      Descriptive analyses of the whole sample will be performed. Then, mixed linear regression
      models will be run to investigate the change over time in patients' psychometric scores and
      whether it differs among different diagnostic groups. Moreover, same analyses will be
      performed to compare patients and healthy subjects in terms of change of IES-R scores over
      time.
    

Intervention name(s): Psychometric scale administration
Intervention type(s): Other
Intervention description(s): PTSD symptoms are assessed using a specific scale (IES-R) and compared between the two groups
Observational model: Case-Control
Time perspective: Retrospective
Sampling method: Probability Sample
Study population: 
        Psychiatric outpatients and healthy controls resident in the same geographic area as the
        patients