Emotional distress and threat perception of COVID-19 in relatives of affected people.

Abstract

Relatives of people affected by COVID-19 were able to experience greater emotional impact during confinement, even more so if they had a very threatening image of COVID-19. The aim was to analyse the relationship between psychopathology and the perception of threat in relatives of people affected by COVID-19. Fifty relatives of people affected by COVID-19 (84% women), aged between 20 and 63 years (M=36.88; SD=12.73) participated. Psychopathology (SCL-90-R; Derogatis et al., 1973) and perceived threat of COVID (BIP-Q5; Pérez-Fuentes et al., 2020) were assessed. We observed moderate emotional distress and threat perception. Those with physical and psychological illnesses showed less threat perception but more psychopathology. Higher threat perception was associated with higher psychopathology. We conclude that the family is an active part of the disease process and may suffer a great emotional impact that needs to be addressed.