J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc.  2019 Aug;58(3):245-251. 10.4306/jknpa.2019.58.3.245.

Psychiatric Morbidity of Survivors One Year after the Outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome in Korea, 2015

• Shin J
• Park HY
• Kim JL
• Lee JJ
• Lee H
• Lee SH
• Shin HS

• KMID: 2456605
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4306/jknpa.2019.58.3.245

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
Patients with an infectious diseases during an outbreak can experience extreme fear and traumatic events in addition to suffering from their medical illness. This study examined the long-term impact of the outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in Korea, 2015 on the mental health of the survivors.
METHODS
Sixty-three survivors from MERS were recruited from a prospective cohort study at six hospitals one year after the outbreak in 2015. The Korean-Symptom Check List 95 was administered to evaluate their psychiatric problems and analyzed according to the patient's characteristics and exposure to traumatic events during the outbreak.
RESULTS
A total of 63.5% of survivors suffered from significant psychiatric problems: post-traumatic symptoms (36.5%), sleep problems (36.5%), anxiety (34.9%), and depression (30.2%). Survivors with a history of a ventilator treatment during the MERS epidemic, a family member who died from MERS, and a past psychiatric history showed higher post traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, and suicidality than people who do not have those histories.
CONCLUSION
The study suggests that MERS survivors could have a high chance of adverse psychiatric consequences, even after their recovery from MERS. Exposure to traumatic events during the outbreak and premorbid individual vulnerability would affect the long-term mental health problems.

Keyword

Middle east respiratory syndrome; Emerging infectious diseases; Mental health; Posttraumatic stress disorder; Depression

MeSH Terms

Anxiety
Cohort Studies
Communicable Diseases
Communicable Diseases, Emerging
Coronavirus Infections*
Depression
Humans
Korea*
Mental Health
Middle East*
Prospective Studies
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorders, Traumatic
Survivors*
Ventilators, Mechanical

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Psychiatric problems of survivors based on the score of the Korean-Symptom Check List 95 one year after Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak in South Korea, 2015. PTSD : Post traumatic stress disorder.

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