Dados do Trabalho

Título

Validation study of a quality of life questionnaire (SAQLI) and the comparison of anxiety and depression in the population before and after the Covid-19 pandemic

Introdução

During the study of the validation of the quality of life questionnaire (SAQLI), it was necessary to carry out the selection of samples using the Beck anxiety and depression scales. The study started in August 2021, was interrupted in March 2020 and the return to its application was in March 2022, with a clear finding that anxiety and depression have increased considerably, influencing adherence to treatments for sleep disorders.

Objetivo

The initial objective was to validate the quality of life questionnaire (SAQLI), however, after restarting the application of the anxiety and depression scales, it was possible to observe a considerable increase in these indices, leading to the current study comparing these indices before and after critical period of the pandemic

Métodos

This study started at Unifesp's neuro-sleep outpatient clinic in August 2021 and is ongoing at Unicamp's snoring and apnea otorhinolaryngology outpatient clinic. The cut-off point for excluding patients from the questionnaire validation study was from 12 points, in the Beck Inventory for depression and for the Anxiety Inventory the cut-off point was 19 points.

Resultados

Before the pandemic period, from August to November 2021, 8 patients from the Unifesp neuro-sleep outpatient clinic participated, with only 2 participants being excluded from the study, that is, 25% of exclusion, for scoring above the aforementioned cutoff points. After the period of isolation caused by the pandemic, studies were resumed at the otorhinolaryngology outpatient clinic at Unicamp and 6 patients participated between March and August 2022, and the proportion of exclusion increased significantly because, by taking the same cuts, it would only be possible to select 2 patients , 67% exclusion.

Conclusões

Quantitative analysis reveals a significantly higher rate of depression and anxiety in the population after the critical period of the pandemic. However, there is a qualitative caveat that reveals that this increase may be associated with the disclosure of symptoms of anxiety and depression caused by social isolation, changes in routines influencing sleep quality, exacerbating these symptoms. However, there are new findings pointing to emotional sequelae related to covid-19. These studies reveal that patients who would have a predisposition to anxiety and/or depression experienced these emotional symptoms, in a large way, after 3 months of the onset of covid-19 symptoms.

Palavras -chave

covid-19, anxiety, depression, quality of life questionnaire