Psychological interventions for individuals with long COVID: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction: Long COVID involves a variety of persistent symptoms after initial SARS-CoV-2 infection, affects multiple functional areas and requires multidisciplinary treatment. Objective: This study aimed to explore the available evidence about psychological interventions for individuals with long COVID and their effectiveness in reducing some prevalent symptoms, such as fatigue, anxiety or depression, among others, and improving patient quality of life. Methodology: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Two independent reviewers performed study selection and data extraction using Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed databases prior to March 2024. Data synthesis was performed via random-effects meta-analysis, with heterogeneity assessed using the I2 statistic. Results: Of the 1041 articles obtained, 19 were included in the systematic review and 14 in the meta-analysis. Results showed significant reductions in symptoms of anxiety [SMD =  -0.64 (95% CI: -1.18 to -0.10)], depression [SMD =  -0.41 (95% CI: -0.73 to -0.10)] and fatigue [SMD =  -1.37 (95% CI: -2.48 to -0.26)]. Significant improvements were only registered in self-perceived health-related quality of life [SMD =  7.59 (95% CI: 3.70-11.48)]. Conclusion: Results showed improvements in anxiety, depression or fatigue, highlighting the potential role of psychological interventions in patient recovery.