A cross-sectional study to assess the post-traumatic stress disorder among discharged coronavirus disease-19-infected individuals in Karnataka, Southern India

Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that may develop after exposure to a horrifying or traumatic event. India reported a high number of cases worldwide during the waves of the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic. Even though a high prevalence of PTSD is expected among hospitalized COVID-19 patients, only a very few studies have addressed the issue till now. The objectives of the study were to assess the prevalence and risk factors associated with PTSD among discharged COVID-19-infected individuals from a designated COVID-19 hospital in Karnataka. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among a total of 120 patients who were discharged after recovery from a designated COVID-19 hospital in Karnataka. Multistage random sampling was done, and equal representation was ensured from all the zones as per the hospital protocol from April 2021 to June 2021. Telephonic interviews with the subjects were conducted; participants were evaluated for PTSD using a semi-structured, prevalidated questionnaire (impact of events scale-revised) after 1 month of discharge from the hospital. Results: The prevalence of PTSD was found to be 29.16%. PTSD was more commonly associated among the middle age group, presence of comorbidities, and with an increased number of days of hospitalization stay especially in ICU with the ventilator. Conclusions: Studying PTSD and its associated factors is necessary to inform about the COVID-19 prognosis. Physicians treating the patient and caretakers of patients should be aware of PTSD risk and should consider PTSD Screening.