Abstract
BACKGROUND: The Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) has had a significant impact on healthcare organizations, leading to a reduction in screening. The pandemic period has caused important psychological repercussions in the most fragile patients. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the levels of depression, anxiety, peri-traumatic stress, and physical symptoms in patients undergoing colposcopy during the COVID-19 pandemic and to compare these data with the post-pandemic period. DESIGN: This longitudinal study included 96 individuals undergoing colposcopy, aged between 22 and 64, who were examined between March 2020 and December 2023. METHODS: Participants were assessed at four distinct time points, referred to as T0, T1, T2, and T3. T0 encompassed the pandemic period, ranging from March 2020 to August 2020, while T1 occurred 1 year later, T2 and T3 correspond to data collected in 2022 and 2023. Statistical analysis was conducted to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on various psychological variables. Descriptive statistics, including means, standard deviations, and frequency distributions, were calculated for each psychological variable within each time period. RESULTS: Our findings revealed a significant reduction in peri-traumatic stress and pain levels in the post-pandemic (from 2021 to 2023) period compared to the pandemic period. Conversely, anxiety and depression levels exhibited a statistically significant increase in the post-pandemic period and then gradually decrease in the subsequent follow-up. CONCLUSION: This study provides valuable insights into the profound impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on psychological distress experienced during the pandemic period itself, as well as its enduring effects on anxiety and depression in the subsequent period.