Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41277895›Full record

Trial reportBrain communications2025

Cognitive and affective psychoeducation for Long COVID: a randomized controlled trial.

Carmen Cabello Fernandez, Vincent Didone, Alexia Lesoinne, Hichem Slama, Patrick Fery, Anne-Françoise Rousseau, Michel Moutschen, COVCOG group, Fabienne Collette, Sylvie Willems

Abstract readClinical Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Brain communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Carmen Cabello FernandezPsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience Research Unit (PsyNCog), Université de Liège (ULiège), Liège 4000, Belgium.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0007-0998-1035
Vincent DidonePsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience Research Unit (PsyNCog), Université de Liège (ULiège), Liège 4000, Belgium.
Alexia LesoinnePsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience Research Unit (PsyNCog), Université de Liège (ULiège), Liège 4000, Belgium.
Hichem SlamaDepartment of Neuropsychology and Speech Therapy, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Hôpital Universitaire de Bruxelles (H.U.B.), Brussels 1070, Belgium.
Patrick FeryDepartment of Neuropsychology and Speech Therapy, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Hôpital Universitaire de Bruxelles (H.U.B.), Brussels 1070, Belgium.
Anne-Françoise RousseauDepartment of Intensive Care and Burn Centre, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Liège, Liège 4000, Belgium.
Michel MoutschenInfectious Diseases Department, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Liège, Liège 4000, Belgium.
COVCOG group
Fabienne CollettePsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience Research Unit (PsyNCog), Université de Liège (ULiège), Liège 4000, Belgium.
Sylvie WillemsPsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience Research Unit (PsyNCog), Université de Liège (ULiège), Liège 4000, Belgium.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5924-0680

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Long COVID is a complex condition characterized by persistent symptoms, including cognitive difficulties and fatigue, which significantly impact daily functioning. Although various intervention strategies inspired by approaches used in the rehabilitation of other neurological conditions have been developed to address these issues, evidence of their efficacy in Long COVID populations remains limited. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness for cognitive complaints of two psychoeducational interventions-one focused on cognitive difficulties and the other on affective symptoms in Long COVID patients with cognitive problems. COVCOG (Long COVID: treatment of cognitive difficulties) is a randomized controlled trial using a parallel two-group design. Long COVID patients underwent neuropsychological assessments at pre-, 2- and 8-month post-intervention. The intervention comprised four 90-min sessions of either a cognitive-focused or an affective-focused psychoeducational programme. The effects were measured on cognitive complaints (primary outcome), cognitive performance, fatigue, sleep difficulties, quality of life, psychological distress, and impact on work and daily activities (secondary outcomes). Linear mixed models (LMMs) were used. One hundred and thirty Long COVID patients were randomized. One hundred and twenty-two (mean age: 47 ± 10; 69.7% female) were included (63 in the cognitive group and 59 in the affective group). The low dropout rate (12% at 2 months and 9% at 8 months post-intervention) and the patients' substantial active engagement-92% attended all intervention sessions-assured the feasibility of both interventions. LMM analysis revealed a statistically significant improvement with time in subjective cognitive complaints, objective cognitive performance (attention, working memory and long-term memory), quality of life, fatigue, sleep, some psychological distress subscales and work impairment (all

Indexed as

cognitive behavioural therapycognitive interventioncounsellingpost-COVID syndromerehabilitation

Identifiers

PMID41277895
PMCPMC12631555

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.