Video-based Psychotherapy for COVID-19 Patients in Isolation Ward in Jakarta

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has brought severe consequences worldwide. Indonesia is one of the countries which has been affected by this pandemic. The examination, treatment, and monitoring of individuals with COVID-19 often requires them to be in a hospital isolation ward. There are a lot of factors which could negatively affect the mental health of such patients during their isolation, to the point that they develop significantly debilitating conditions.

Several psychotherapy interventions have been known to be effective during a pandemic situation. The interventions include those based on techniques of relaxation, managing thoughts and feelings, and mindfulness. These methods could help reducing negative and catastrophic thoughts about the future, reducing distress level and hyperarousal, and other beneficial effect. However, due to the high transmission rate of SARS-CoV-2 virus (severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2), face-to-face therapy sessions are rendered difficult to hold under the circumstances. Thus, we conducted a pilot study to test the impact of a video-based psychotherapy intervention on distress and well-being in hospitalized COVID-19 patients in a medical isolation ward.

This pilot study included 42 patients with COVID-19, aged 20-59. Participants watched three brief psychotherapy videos covering relaxation, managing thoughts and emotions, and mindfulness. Before and after watching the videos, patients were asked to complete the Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS). 31 subjects experienced a significant median decrease in SUDS score after the intervention. The effect size was 0.485, with a 95% confidence interval of 0.302 to 0.634. Our brief video-based psychotherapy intervention may have a positive effect on reducing distress in hospitalized COVID-19 patients in areas with scarce resources. This study could be used as a reference for future studies regarding the method of choice for delivering psychotherapy intervention for patients in isolation ward during the COVID-19 pandemic.