Reduced interpersonal touch and elevated preferred interpersonal distance are signs of impaired social contact behavior in post-COVID syndrome.

BACKGROUND

Increased inflammation often evokes an adaptive sickness behavior with social withdrawal. We aimed to test whether reduced social contact also characterizes Post-COVID syndrome, a condition that is hypothesized to involve prolonged inflammation following SARS-CoV-2 infection.

METHODS

We queried 49 Post-COVID patients (mean age = 46.8 years, 38 (77.6 %) female, mean duration of disease = 16 months) and 49 age- and gender-matched healthy control paricipants for their satisfaction with socializing, frequency of interpersonal contact and touch, and preferred interpersonal distance. Additionally, severity of fatigue and depressive mood were assessed in all participants.

RESULTS

While Post-COVID patients did not differ significantly from healthy controls in the frequency of general interpersonal contact, they reported a markedly lowered satisfaction with socializing (p < .01, η2 = 0.27). Specifically, touch frequency and desire for touch were reduced, with the largest difference observed for interactions with friends (p < .001, η2 = 0.13). Furthermore, Post-COVID patients reported approximately a 50 % increase in preferred interpersonal distance towards others in order to feel comfortable (p < .001, η2 = 0.17). Mediation analyses suggest that those deviations were primarily driven by fatigue rather than depressive symptoms in Post COVID patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Over the course of the disease, the observed impairments are concerning, as they deprive patients of social contact as a source of dyadic coping and mental health. Pacing strategies should be adapted to explicitly incorporate social contact as a key element. The findings also align with the sickness behavior theory.