B3898 - ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN CERTAINTY OF COVID-19 INFECTION STATUS AND REPORTING OF LONG COVID SYMPTOMS THE ROLE OF NOCEBO - 25/10/2021

B number: 
B3898
Principal applicant name: 
Catherine Macleod-Hall | Bristol Medical School (United Kingdom)
Co-applicants: 
Dr Maddy Dyer, Professor Marcus Munafò
Title of project: 
ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN CERTAINTY OF COVID-19 INFECTION STATUS AND REPORTING OF LONG COVID SYMPTOMS: THE ROLE OF NOCEBO
Proposal summary: 

Some people experience symptoms caused by COVID that last longer than the original infection and these can be severe or disabling (COVID Symptom Study, 2020). This study aims to better understand why some people develop ‘long COVID’ – symptoms lasting longer than four weeks (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2020) – and others do not. We will be comparing long COVID symptoms between those who have had COVID confirmed by a test, and those who believe they have had COVID but have not had a positive test. We will then explore whether this relationship is different between men and women, and between those who reported anxiety and those who didn’t. We hope that this research will help us to understand better whether psychological mechanisms contribute to the development of long COVID.

Impact of research: 
Long COVID is a new phenomenon that is still poorly understood, and a better understanding of the pathogenesis of the syndrome is required to shape future research and therapies. The influence of nocebo and negative expectations will have implications for the communication around diseases by the media and medical profession, particularly those of significant socio-political consequence such as COVID-19.
Date proposal received: 
Friday, 8 October, 2021
Date proposal approved: 
Monday, 25 October, 2021
Keywords: 
Epidemiology, Behaviour - e.g. antisocial behaviour, risk behaviour, etc., Chronic fatigue, Mental health, Respiratory - asthma, Statistical methods, Mental health Wellbeing Epidemiology Psychology COVID-19 Long COVID