Psychosocial and Health Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Long COVID

A special issue of COVID (ISSN 2673-8112). This special issue belongs to the section "COVID Public Health and Epidemiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2027 | Viewed by 434

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
1. Division of Pharmacology, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS), Utrecht University, 3584 CG Utrecht, The Netherlands
2. Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, D-01307 Dresden, Germany
3. Centre for Mental Health and Brain Sciences, Swinburne University, Melbourne, VIC 3122, Australia
Interests: mood; cognition; mental health; COVID-19
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We invite researchers and experts to contribute original articles to a Special Issue focusing on the psychosocial and health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and Long COVID. This Special Issue will explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated lockdown periods on health, mood, cognitive functioning, and quality of life. Evaluating the impact of COVID-19 measures used to prevent the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, such as lockdowns and health measures (e.g., washing hands and wearing facemasks), is of great importance to encourage better preparedness for future pandemics. In addition, this Special Issue will consider articles that address the psychosocial and health impacts of Long COVID. We welcome original articles, review, and meta-analyses, as well as cross-cultural comparisons between countries with different COVID-19 measures.

By publishing innovative research, this Special Issue will inform and influence preparations for future pandemics and public health crises, taking into account the psychosocial consequences of common measures such as lockdowns and quarantines.

All submitted articles will undergo a rigorous peer-review process before acceptance.

Dr. Joris C. Verster
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. COVID is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • COVID-19
  • long COVID
  • PASC
  • mood
  • cognition
  • quality of life
  • lockdown effects
  • mental health
  • lockdown
  • pandemic preparedness

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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7 pages, 208 KB  
Brief Report
Immune Fitness, Mood, Fatigue, and Quality of Life Prior to SARS-CoV-2 Infection Were Not Identified as Independent Predictors of PASC Fatigue Severity
by Pantea Kiani, Dana M. Dijkgraaf, Sophie I. Groenewoud, Anje A. te Velde, Edith J. M. Feskens, Aletta D. Kraneveld, Johan Garssen, Berber J. Vlieg-Boerstra and Joris C. Verster
COVID 2026, 6(5), 72; https://doi.org/10.3390/covid6050072 - 22 Apr 2026
Viewed by 287
Abstract
Post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), also referred to as Long COVID, affects millions worldwide and is characterized by persistent fatigue, reduced immune fitness, and mood disturbances. The aim of the current study was to identify if immune fitness, mood, fatigue, and quality [...] Read more.
Post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), also referred to as Long COVID, affects millions worldwide and is characterized by persistent fatigue, reduced immune fitness, and mood disturbances. The aim of the current study was to identify if immune fitness, mood, fatigue, and quality of life prior to SARS-CoV-2 infection could predict PASC fatigue severity. A retrospective cross-sectional survey was conducted among 299 Dutch PASC patients. Participants completed validated measures of immune fitness, fatigue (assessed with both the Fatigue Severity Scale and a single-item scale), mood (including stress, anxiety, depression, hostility, loneliness, and happiness) and quality of life for the three months prior to SARS-CoV-2 infection. The same assessments were made for the month before survey completion (i.e., during PASC). Correlational and regression analyses were conducted to identify possible predictors of PASC fatigue severity. Participants were predominantly female (90%): mean age 44.1 (SD 11.2) years. Both assessments of PASC fatigue did not correlate significantly with the prior SARS-CoV-2 assessments of immune fitness, fatigue, mood, and quality of life. The regression analyses revealed no significant predictors for PASC fatigue severity. In conclusion, immune fitness, fatigue, mood and quality of life prior to SARS-CoV-2 infection were not identified as independent predictors of PASC fatigue severity. Full article
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