4.1 Article

Self-reported cognitive impairment and daily life functioning 7-12 years after seeking care for stress-related exhaustion

Journal

SCANDINAVIAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY
Volume 62, Issue 4, Pages 484-492

Publisher

WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/sjop.12722

Keywords

Burnout; cognition; exhaustion disorder; perceived health; self‐ report; stress

Funding

  1. Swedish government [ALFGBG-431391, ALFGBG-784831]
  2. AFA Insurance as a part of the research program To live and work with mental illness [190127]

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This study investigated self-reported cognitive difficulties, daily life activities, and health/sleep factors in former patients with exhaustion disorder who still fulfilled the clinical criteria 7-12 years after seeking care. Patients who still met the diagnostic criteria reported widespread problems related to cognition and fatigue, while recovered patients still experienced issues with cognitive functioning and fatigue compared to healthy controls. The long-term effects of exhaustion disorder may include permanent cognitive problems and fatigue, indicating the importance of preventative measures for stakeholders.
The overall aim of this study was to investigate self-reported cognitive difficulties, daily life activities, and health/sleep factors in former patients with exhaustion disorder (ED) who still fulfill the clinical criteria for exhaustion 7-12 years after seeking care. The Sahlgrenska Self-reported Cognitive Impairment Questionnaire (SASCI-Q) was used to measure cognitive difficulties, daily life activities, and health/sleep factors. Three groups were compared: previous patients still judged to be clinically exhausted seven years or more after seeking care (n = 51); previous patients considered clinically recovered (n = 98); and healthy controls (n = 50). Patients who still fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for ED reported widespread problems related to cognition, fatigue, and daily life functioning compared to the clinically recovered group. Furthermore, despite no longer fulfilling the clinical criteria, the recovered patients still reported more problems related to cognitive functioning and fatigue compared to healthy controls. Thus, this group appeared intermediary between the non-recovered group and healthy controls regarding self-reported cognitive functioning. To conclude, ED may have considerable negative long-term effects, and it is possible that some of these residual symptoms, particularly the cognitive problems and persistent fatigue, are permanent in some patients. Preventive measures should be the primary focus for all stakeholders, since the consequences of stress-related mental health problems seem to be extensive and long-lasting.

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