Poor Sleep Quality May Independently Predict Suicidal Risk in Covid-19 Survivors: A 2-Year Longitudinal Study

Laura Palagini; Gaspare Alfi; Diletta Dazzi; Angelo Gemignani; Valerio Caruso; Pierre A Geoffroy; Mario Miniati; Sofia Straudi

doi:10.36131/cnfioritieditore20230406

Poor Sleep Quality May Independently Predict Suicidal Risk in Covid-19 Survivors: A 2-Year Longitudinal Study

Clin Neuropsychiatry. 2023 Aug;20(4):271-278. doi: 10.36131/cnfioritieditore20230406.

Authors

Laura Palagini¹, Gaspare Alfi², Diletta Dazzi³, Angelo Gemignani², Valerio Caruso¹, Pierre A Geoffroy⁴, Mario Miniati¹, Sofia Straudi³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Experimental and Clinic Medicine, Section of Psychiatry, University of Pisa, Via Roma 67, 56100 Pisa, Italy.
² Department of Surgical, Medical, Molecular, and Critical Area Pathology, University of Pisa, Via Savi, 10 - 56126 Pisa, Italy.
³ Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, Ferrara University, Ferrara, Italy.
⁴ Département de psychiatrie et d'addictologie, AP-HP, GHU Paris Nord, DMU Neurosciences, Hôpital Bichat - Claude Bernard, Paris, France ; Centre ChronoS, GHU Paris - Psychiatry & Neurosciences, Paris, France; Université Paris Cité, NeuroDiderot, Inserm, Paris, France; CNRS UPR 3212, Institute for Cellular and Integrative Neurosciences, Strasbourg, France.

Abstract

Objective: Multiple symptoms of psychiatric, neurological, and physical illnesses may be part of Post-COVID conditions and may pose COVID-19 survivors a high suicidal risk. Accordingly, we aimed to study factors contributing to suicidal risk in Post COVID-19 patients.

Method: Consecutive patients with post COVID-19 conditions were followed for 2 years at the University Hospital of Ferrara at baseline (T0), 6 (T1), 12 (T2), and 24 (T3) months. Demographics, and clinical data for all patients included: disease severity, hospital length of stay, comorbidity, clinical complications, sleep quality, cognitive complaints, anxiety and stress-related symptoms, depressive symptoms, and suicidal ideation.

Results: The final sample included 81 patients with post COVID survivors. The mean age was 64 + 10,6 years, 35,8% were females, 65,4% had medical comorbidities, and 69,1% had WHO severe form of COVID forms. At T0 more than 90% of patients showed poor sleep quality, 59.3% reported moderate/severe depressive symptoms, and 51.% experienced anxiety, 25.9% experienced post-traumatic stress symptoms. At T0 suicidal ideation, interested 6.1% and at T3 it increased to 7.4%. In the regression analysis, suicidal ideation at baseline was best predicted by poor sleep quality (O.R. 1.71, p=0.044) and, after 2 years, suicidal ideation was best predicted by poor sleep quality experienced at baseline (OR 67.3, p=0.001).

Conclusions: Poor sleep quality may play as an independent predictor of suicidal risk in post-COVID survivors. Evaluating and targeting sleep disturbances in COVID survivors is important to prevent the consequences of disrupted sleep in mental health.

Keywords: anxiety; depression; poor sleep; post-COVID survivors; suicidal ideation.