Groot, Bob de (2021) Untreated if Unrecognized: Subjective Cognitive Decline Following COVID-19, in a Heterogeneous International Sample. Master thesis, Psychology.
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Abstract
Introduction: Previous literature has reported that COVID-19 is associated with cognitive decline, and specifically executive dysfunction in severe patients. However, the literature is not yet clear on the landscape of cognitive functioning in less severe COVID-19 patients. Furthermore, most studies have relied upon objective measures of cognition. The present study focusses on subjective measures of executive functioning, and assesses mild to severe disease severity groups to identify the relationship between subjective executive dysfunction and disease severity. Methods: The full sample (N = 203) consisted of a healthy control group (n = 71) and a COVID-19 group (n = 131). The COVID-19 group disease severity was assessed using a self- report measure. A newly developed online test battery called CoCo-19 was used, which contained several existing questionnaires. This study focused specifically on the BRIEF-A, as a measure of executive functioning. A mixed-model ANOVA was used followed by multiple one- sided planned t-tests to explore the direction of the data. Furthermore, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) questionnaire and the Beck’s Depression Inventory (BDI) were identified as covariates because executive dysfunction has been associated with both anxiety and depression. Results: The COVID-19 group showed significantly more executive dysfunction than the control group (t(191) = 4.881, p < .000, d = .741). All severity groups scored significantly differently from each other on the BRIEF-A, with exception of the control group and the mildest severity group. Thus, BRIEF-A scores increased with increasing symptoms severity. Exploratory analyses additionally found effects for sex and age on BRIEF-A scores. Conclusion: The current study has found that COVID-19 patients experience significantly more executive dysfunction than healthy controls. Our results have indicated that increased COVID-19 severity is associated with increased subjective executive dysfunction, even showing increased impairments in mild disease severity compared to healthy controls. Our findings implicate that more sensitive assessment might be necessary in relatively less severe patients, in order to identify subclinical yet functionally limiting cognitive dysfunction.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Enriquez Geppert, S. |
| Degree programme: | Psychology |
| Differentiation route: | Clinical Neuropsychology (CN) [Master Psychology] |
| Date Deposited: | 04 Jan 2022 13:34 |
| Last Modified: | 04 Jan 2022 13:34 |
| URI: | http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/28 |
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