Long COVID is a complex and emerging chronic condition. Patients frequently encounter provider interactions in healthcare settings where symptoms are invalidated, downplayed, or dismissed, a phenomenon known as medical gaslighting. This research sought to analyze if having symptoms of Long COVID was associated with higher odds of experiencing medical gaslighting, hypothesizing that it would be. Perceived reasons for this medical gaslighting were further examined in those with Long COVID symptoms and those without. This addresses the need for continued exploration of the Long COVID patient experience through quantitative data analysis, providing information specific to the Colorado population and relevant to Colorado health practitioners.
This study utilized data from the 2025 Colorado Health Access Survey, a cross-sectional survey of Colorado that employed oversampling and population weighting to improve representation. This analysis included 3,782 individuals. Covariates evaluated include age, gender, race, and insurance type. The analysis utilized multivariate logistic regression models to estimate prevalence odds ratios. Additionally, secondary sub-analyses used logistic regression on a subset of participants (N=454) which examined perceived reasons for medical gaslighting.
This analysis found that those with Long COVID symptoms had 3.06 times the odds [95% CI: 2.42, 3.86] of experiencing medical gaslighting in comparison to those without. Further, these individuals had 2.40 times higher odds of feeling ignored, 1.94 times higher odds of feeling that they were not provided with a treatment plan or referral, and 1.67 times higher odds of feeling that their symptoms were attributed to mental health.
This analysis demonstrates that patients with Long COVID face significant challenges in receiving care, further examining the reasons that these patients felt that they were ignored, dismissed, or had their medical concerns go unaddressed. This work aims to be integrated into Colorado health practitioner training to shape the landscape of Long COVID diagnosis and treatment.
