Mental health of spinocerebellar ataxia patients during COVID 19 pandemic: a cross sectional study

COVID-19 is a global concern nowadays, and the psychological impact of the pandemic cannot be overlooked. People are under insurmountable pressure, which may lead to psychological problems such as anxiety and depression. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the mental health of spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) patients during COVID-19 pandemic and to analyze its influencing factors. We conducted an online questionnaire survey among 307 SCA patients from China. The contents of the questionnaire included general information, the self-rating anxiety scale (SAS), the self-rating depression scale (SDS). The relevant influencing factors included COVID-19 risk factors, age, gender, BMI (body mass index), educational background, disease course, and score of the scale for the assessment and rating of ataxia (SARA). Results indicate the 307 SCA patients had an anxiety rate of 34.9%, along with a depression rate of 56.7%. Their SAS and SDS scores were significantly higher than those of the Chinese norm group (SAS: 45.8±10.1 vs. 37.2±12.6, P < 0.01; SDS: 55.1±12.2 vs. 41.9±10.6, P < 0.01). Risks of exposure to COVID-19, educational level, and disease course may be factors affecting mental health status. The existence of a positive correlation among the scores of SARA, SAS and SDS scale was demonstrated, the higher the SARA score, the higher the risk of anxiety and depression. Anxiety and depression were more prevalent in SCA patients compared with the normal population, and depression was more common than anxiety during this pandemic. More psychological attention should be paid to SCA patients during COVID-19 pandemic.