Since December 2019, the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) has been keeping the world in suspense. Proven risk factors for a severe course of COVID-19 are common diseases like diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular or respiratory disorders. Until today, little is known about the psychological burden of individuals suffering from these high-risk diseases regard to COVID-19. The aim of the study was to define the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on behavior and mental health in individuals at high risk for developing a severe COVID-19 course. Items assessed generalized anxiety (GAD-7), COVID-19-related fear, adherent/dysfunctional safety behavior, and the subjective risk perception of regarding symptoms, having a severe course and dying because of COVID-19. Data were compared between participants with the high risk diseases and individuals without any of those diseases. 16,983 respondents completed the study. Generalized anxiety, COVID-19-related fear, adherent/dysfunctional safety behavior and subjective risk perception were elevated in participants with high-risk diseases. The increased COVID-19-related fear as a functional concern is a conclusion on the increased risk of a severe course. The functionality of the fear is reflected in people’s increased need for security and includes an increase in both adherent and dysfunctional safety behavior that underlines the need for psychological support strategies.

Background Governmental restrictions of daily life are key elements in reducing the transmission of COVID-19, but they have also put a strain on people’s mental health. Preventive policies differ all over the world as well as over different periods of time, and depend mostly on current infection rates. In Germany, there were two periods of restraint of varying severity, during which the government used different combinations of containment and mitigation measures to protect risk groups and to lower the number of hospitalizations. Methods In two online studies, we aimed to determine differences and similarities in COVID-19-related fear, generalized anxiety, depression and distress levels, as well as in the adherence to safety behaviour between the first lockdown in March and April and the second lockdown in November. Results This study showed continued high psychological burden and even increased levels of depression symptoms, as well as less safety behaviour in the second phase of restrictions. Conclusions The results hint at a prolonged negative impact on people’s mental health and their safety behaviour despite lesser restrictions in the second lockdown, which may be interpreted as pandemic fatigue and hence strengthens the argument for a low-threshold access to psychological care.

People with cystic fibrosis (pwCF) face great challenges during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Recent research found equal levels of distress in pwCF and healthy controls (HC). The current study aimed to investigate the mental health burden and safety behavior in pwCF. Sixty-nine adult pwCF and sixty-nine propensity-score-matched HC participated in this study. Participants completed an anonymous online questionnaire assessing distress, generalized anxiety, depressive symptoms, COVID-19-related variables, self-reported adherent safety behavior (ASB), and dysfunctional safety behavior (DSB). PwCF showed equal amounts of distress (W = 2481.0, p = 0.669), depressive symptoms (W = 2632.5, p = 0.268), and generalized anxiety symptoms (W = 2515.5, p = 0.565) compared to the HC. COVID-19-related fear (W = 1872.0, p = 0.028), ASB (W = 1630.0, p = 0.001), and DSB (W = 1498.5, p < 0.001) were significantly elevated in pwCF. The pwCF estimated that the probability of suffering from symptoms (W = 954.5, p < 0.001), experiencing a severe course (W = 806.5, p < 0.001), or dying (W = 1079.0, p < 0.001) from COVID-19 is significantly higher than that of the HC. ASB was associated with a CF diagnosis, COVID-19-related fear, and a subjective level of information (R2 = 0.414, F(13, 124)= 6.936, p ≤ 0.001). DSB was associated with a diagnosis of CF and COVID-19-related fear (R2 = 0.196, F(13, 124) = 3.169, p ≤ 0.001). The data suggest that pwCF show functional and adequate behaviors towards the risk caused by the pandemic. Therefore, functional coping behaviors may provide advantages in addressing pandemic challenges.

Due to the SARS CoV-2-virus (COVID-19), anxiety, distress, and insecurity occur more frequently. In particular, infected individuals, their relatives, and medical staff face an increased risk of high psychological distress as a result of the ongoing pandemic. Thus, structured psychosocial emergency concepts are needed. The University hospital of Essen has taken up this challenge by creating the PEC concept to reduce psychosocial long-term consequences for infected patients, relatives, and medical staff at the university hospital. The concept includes professional medical as well as psychological support to convey constructive coping strategies and the provision of adequate tools such as the low-threshold online training program (CoPE It), which is accessible via the webpage www.cope-corona.de.