Detection of anxiety and depression through mental health screening questionnaires in cystic fibrosis patients and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic

Justification: CF patients and their caregivers have a high prevalence of depression (D) and anxiety (A) compared to the general population. Due to the strict confinement during the months of March to May, we evaluated the mental health (MH) of our patients and their caregivers. Also, we evaluated clinical and demographic variables to determine their influence (age, sex, screening diagnosis, F508del homozygous, FEV1, asthma, P. aeruginosa infection, pancreatic insufficiency, BMI, CFRD, modulator treatment, number of consultations, SARS-Cov-2 PCR number, psychiatric background, marital status, educational level and occupation). Methodology: Patients with CF over 12 years-old and caregivers of children with CF from 0 to 18 years-old performed an online MH screening using two validated questionnaires: PHQ9 and GAD7. Results: 96 people participated in the study: 7.3% (n7) adolescents, 19.8% (n19) adult patients, 43.7% (n42) mothers and 29.2% (n28) fathers of CF patients. Of them, 57.3% (n55) had pathological results in the D surveys and 50% (n48) in the A surveys. Women, among patients and caregivers, had higher scores than men (D: p 0.013;A: p 0.042). Furthermore, 44.8% (n43) had both disorders. The 76% (n33) of the children and adolescents had at least one parent with symptoms of D or A. There was no correlation between the score of the adolescents and their parents (D: p 0.66;A: p 1.00). Only asthma had a negative influence on MH in adult patients (D: p 0.016;A: p 0.018). No statistically significant differences were observed in other variables. [Table presented] Conclusions: During confinement, we found elevated D and A values in CF patients and their caregivers. The group with the highest prevalence was adult patients, followed by mothers of children with CF. The scores for A and D were higher in women, and adult CF patients with asthma. Adolescents did not have relevant alterations, regardless of their parents’ outcomes.