Risk-Taking Behavior in Recovered COVID-19 Patients

The aim of this study is to investigate risk-taking behavior and decision-making processes in recovered COVID-19 patients.

Twenty patients recovered from COVID-19 as confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests and twenty-one healthy individuals were recruited. A computerized version of the Iowa Gambling Test (IGT) for measuring risk-taking behavior tendencies as a decision-making process and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and WMS-R Digit Span Forward Test (DSFT) for clinical assessments included. The assessments of the recovered patients were applied on the initial phase that the tests of the patients were negative and on the 4-week follow up phase.

The results showed that the anxiety scores were significantly higher in the healthy control group than in the group of recovered patients. The IGT-Net 4 scores were significantly and IGT-Net total scores were marginally significantly lower in the group of recovered patients. In other words, recovered patients showed higher risk-taking behavior tendencies. This tendency difference is consistent with the anxiety levels of the groups. These IGT scores showed to be persistent in the 4-week follow up phase.

Our findings indicate that recovered patients show higher risk-taking behavior tendencies than healthy controls and this may be the result of overcoming the COVID-19 threat.