Subjective cognitive complaints in patients with stress-related exhaustion disorder: a cross sectional study

BMC Psychology

Hanna Malmberg Gavelin¹  Maria Josefsson²  Lisbeth Slunga Järvholm³  Therese Eskilsson⁴  Carl-Johan Boraxbekk⁵  Andreas Nelson⁶  Anna Stigsdotter Neely⁷ 

[1] Academic Unit for Psychiatry of Old Age, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia;Department of Psychology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden;Centre for Demographic and Ageing Research (CEDAR), Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden;Department of Statistics Umeå, University, Umeå, Sweden;Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Section for Sustainable Health, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden;Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Section for Sustainable Health, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden;Department of Community Medicine and Rehabilitation, Physiotherapy, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden;Department of Radiation Sciences, Diagnostic Radiology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden;Institute of Sports Medicine Copenhagen (ISMC), Copenhagen University Hospital Bispebjerg, Copenhagen, Denmark;Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital, Amager and Hvidovre, Denmark;Department of Social and Psychological Studies, Karlstad University, Karlstad, Sweden;Department of Anaesthesiology, Central Hospital of Karlstad, Karlstad, Region Värmland, Sweden;Department of Social and Psychological Studies, Karlstad University, Karlstad, Sweden;Department of Social Sciences, Technology and Arts, Luleå University of Technology, Luleå, Sweden;Department of Health, Education and Technology, Luleå University of Technology, Luleå, Sweden;

关键词: Stress;    Burnout;    Stress-induced;    Exhaustion;    Subjective cognitive complaints;    Cognition;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s40359-021-00576-9

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundStress-related exhaustion is associated with cognitive impairment as measured by both subjective cognitive complaints (SCCs) and objective cognitive test performance. This study aimed to examine how patients diagnosed with exhaustion disorder differ from healthy control participants in regard to levels and type of SCCs, and if SCCs are associated with cognitive test performance and psychological distress.MethodsWe compared a group of patients with stress-related exhaustion disorder (n = 103, female = 88) with matched healthy controls (n = 58, female = 47) cross-sectionally, concerning the type and magnitude of self-reported SCCs. We furthermore explored the association between SCCs and cognitive test performance as well as with self-reported depression, anxiety and burnout levels, in the patient and the control group, respectively.ResultsPatients reported considerably more cognitive failures and were more likely than controls to express memory failures in situations providing few external cues and reminders in the environment. In both groups, SCCs were associated with demographic and psychological factors, and not with cognitive test performance.ConclusionOur findings underline the high burden of cognitive problems experienced by patients with exhaustion disorder, particularly in executively demanding tasks without external cognitive support. From a clinical perspective, SCCs and objective cognitive test performance may measure different aspects of cognitive functioning, and external cognitive aids could be of value in stress rehabilitation.Trial registrationParticipants were recruited as part of the Rehabilitation for Improved Cognition (RECO) study (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03073772). Date of registration: 8 March 2017

【 授权许可】

CC BY