Psychological Flexibility and Long-COVID
Understanding psychological flexibility in long COVID: associations with stress, fatigue, and somatic symptom burden
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12144-024-06794-9
Study Summary
This study investigated the relationship between psychological flexibility and health outcomes in individuals with long COVID. The researchers examined how psychological flexibility components (openness, awareness, and engagement) relate to stress, fatigue, and somatic symptoms. They hypothesized that higher psychological flexibility would be associated with better health outcomes.
Key Findings
Behavioral Awareness and Valued Action Reduce Stress: Higher levels of behavioral awareness and valued action were significantly associated with lower stress levels in individuals with long COVID.
Behavioral Awareness Reduces Fatigue and Somatic Symptoms: Greater behavioral awareness was significantly related to lower fatigue and fewer somatic symptoms.
Openness to Experience May Increase Fatigue: Higher openness to experience was unexpectedly associated with increased fatigue, possibly due to the effort required to engage with difficult internal experiences.
Why It Matters
Relevance to Chronic Condition Management: This study highlights the importance of psychological flexibility in managing chronic conditions like long COVID. By improving their ability to adapt and cope with challenges, individuals with long COVID may be able to improve their overall quality of life.
Connections to Occupational Therapy: As an occupational therapist, these findings emphasize the need to address psychological factors alongside physical symptoms. Incorporating strategies to enhance psychological flexibility, such as mindfulness and acceptance-based techniques, could complement traditional rehabilitation approaches.
What This Means for Managing Symptoms
Cultivate Behavioral Awareness: Pay attention to your actions and choices, recognizing how they may be influenced by your thoughts and emotions.
Engage in Valued Actions: Identify activities that are meaningful to you and make an effort to participate in them, even when facing challenges.
Practice Acceptance: Work on accepting difficult thoughts and emotions without judgment, recognizing that they are a normal part of the human experience.
Citation
Sirotiak, Z., Adamowicz, J. L., & Thomas, E. B. K. (2024). Understanding psychological flexibility in long COVID: Associations with stress, fatigue, and somatic symptom burden. Current Psychology, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-024-06794-9