Post-COVID Anxiety and Stress among COVID-19 Recovered Patients

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic is not over yet. And as much as the pandemic has had its effect in real-time, it is leaving behind its traces as well. The most prominent being the various types of stress and anxiety disorders that are now being found in a majority of the individuals, who have either suffered from COVID themselves or have witnessed it first-hand through a loved one. This study aims to find association between post COVID anxiety and stress and its association with demographic variables in people recovered from COVID-19. Based on the survey that was conducted, it was deduced that the majority of the volunteers were suffering from some sort of post-COVID stress and anxiety disorder. Women being large in number as compared to men. Most of the participants were involved in compulsive checking, avoidance behavior, self-monitoring and self-diagnosis in fear of contracting the virus again. People who had the worst COVID symptoms and were in the intensive care unit showed more stress levels than the rest. And healthcare workers showed relatively less, possibly because of their expertise in the management and containing the disease. The majority of the People were not aware of the post-COVID health conditions, collectively termed as Long COVID. Keywords: Post-COVID Anxiety, Post-COVID Stress, Long COVID, Pakistan