Peer-reviewed article
Co-Designing an Online Narrative-Based Intervention for Breathing and Psychological Wellbeing for Adolescents With Post-COVID Syndrome.
Wells C, Sonnappa S, Salvo T, Woodman D, Segal TY et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study describes the co-design of an online intervention to help adolescents with long COVID (post-COVID syndrome) manage symptoms including fatigue, breathlessness, and anxiety. Seven young people with lived experience of long COVID provided feedback to shape an intervention combining breathing retraining, narrative-based psychological support, and peer connection. The young people emphasized the importance of regular breaks, accessible resources, and peer support to accommodate cognitive and fatigue symptoms.
Key points
- Post-COVID syndrome affects up to 66.5% of children and young people, with symptoms including fatigue, headaches, anxiety, brain fog, and breathlessness
- Young people valued breathing retraining combined with narrative-based psychological approaches
- Peer connection was highlighted as an important component by participants
- Regular breaks and accessible online resources were essential to accommodate fatigue and cognitive symptoms
- Co-design with young people with lived experience produced a patient-centred intervention integrating psychological and physiotherapy approaches
Limitations
This is a co-design study with only seven participants providing feedback on intervention structure; it does not evaluate the intervention's effectiveness or clinical impact. The document does not specify the countries where this work took place or provide comparative data on outcomes.
Abstract
PurposePost-COVID syndrome (PCS) also known as long COVID affects up to 66.5% of children and young people (CYP) following SARS-CoV-2 infection. Common symptoms include fatigue, headaches, anxiety, brain fog, breathlessness, and post-exertional symptom exacerbation, resulting in reduced school attendance and recreational participation. This study aimed to co-design an online group intervention to support psychological wellbeing, breathing retraining, symptom management, and peer connection during PCS recovery.MethodA co-design approach refined a 'journey-of-life' online intervention for adolescents with PCS and incorporated respiratory physiotherapy activities.ResultsSeven CYP provided feedback on the intervention structure, pacing, accessibility, and content. Participants valued the breathing retraining with narrative-based psychological approaches and highlighted the importance of peer connection, regular breaks, and accessible online resources to accommodate fatigue and cognitive symptoms. Feedback informed refinement of the intervention structure, physiotherapy activities, and supporting digital materials.ConclusionCo-design with CYP with lived experience of PCS supported the development of a patient-centred online intervention integrating psychological and physiotherapy approaches. The findings highlight the value of involving CYP in the development of interventions for complex long-term conditions and demonstrate the potential of accessible telehealth approaches to support recovery and wellbeing. Further evaluation of feasibility, acceptability, and clinical impact is warranted.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- Online group intervention combining narrative-based psychological support, breathing retraining with respiratory physiotherapy activities, and peer connection, co-designed with adolescents with lived experience of long COVID
- Population
- Adolescents with post-COVID syndrome; co-design feedback from 7 young people
Key finding
Young people valued the combination of breathing retraining with narrative-based psychological approaches