The aim of the present study was to establish a single-arm group psychotherapy and toevaluate its clinical effectiveness in long COVID patients.
This study took place at the Cantonal Hospital St.Gallen, a tertiary care hospital in
Eastern Switzerland, and included data collection between November 2021 and January 2024.
During this time span, the same licensed psychotherapist conducted the group
psychotherapy six times in total with a maximum of nine patients each. Each of the six
groups had one-hour group therapy sessions weekly within eight consecutive weeks. During
the study period, the group psychotherapy was part of a more comprehensive treatment for
long COVID as all patients primarily received active pacing therapy.
The investigators implemented cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and acceptance and
commitment therapy (ACT) elements into group psychotherapy and focused on fatigue,
insomnia, depression, anxiety, somatic symptoms, psychotraumatology, and quality of life
as psychosomatic outcome measures (pre- and post-interventional).
Behavioral: Group Psychotherapy
Group psychotherapy based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and
Commitment Therapy (ACT) elements
Inclusion Criteria:
- Signed general consent form of the Cantonal Hospital of St.Gallen
- Adult patients (≥ 18 years of age)
- Long COVID diagnosis made as part of the long COVID consultation at the Cantonal
Hospital of St.Gallen
- Screening for psychological stress and suitability for group therapy through an
initial consultation with a psychotherapeutic specialist from the Department of
Psychosomatic Medicine and Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry at the Cantonal Hospital
of St.Gallen
Exclusion Criteria:
- Insufficient language skills for completing the questionnaires in German
- Refusal to sign the general consent form
- Severe mental disorders requiring an individualized setting, i.e. suicidal
tendencies at the time of screening, acute psychosis and personality disorder
Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, Cantonal Hospital St.Gallen, Switzerland
Sankt Gallen 2658822, Canton of St. Gallen 2658821, Switzerland
Not Provided