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Comparative Study
. 2015 Sep 26:13:156.
doi: 10.1186/s12955-015-0341-2.

Mental distress among Liberian medical staff working at the China Ebola Treatment Unit: a cross sectional study

Li Li  1   2 , Changli Wan  3   4 , Ru Ding  5 , Yi Liu  6   7 , Jue Chen  8   9 , Zonggui Wu  10 , Chun Liang  11 , Zhiqing He  12   13 , Chengzhong Li  14   15
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Mental distress among Liberian medical staff working at the China Ebola Treatment Unit: a cross sectional study

Li Li et al. Health Qual Life Outcomes. .

Abstract

Background: Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa not only triggered a grave public health crisis, but also exerted and induced huge mental distress on medical staff, which would negatively influence epidemic control and social rebuilt furthermore. We chose the local medical staff working at the China Ebola Treatment Unit (ETU) to explore the severity of potential mental distress and involved potential causes.

Methods: A descriptive study using the Symptom Check List 90 - Revised (SCL90-R) questionnaire to assess psychological health status was conducted among 52 Liberian medical staff. Global indices, including Global Severity Index (GSI), Positive Symptom Total (PST) and Positive Symptom Distress Index (PSDI), and nine subscales based on 90 inquiry items were compared among gender, work duty and other subgroups. Data were analyzed using Graphpad Prism and SPSS software.

Results: Mental distress among participants was not very serious; only PSDI, paranoid ideation and interpersonal sensitivity numerically increased relative to changes in other categories. While male medics and those responsible for cleaning and disinfection showed significant increases in scores for psychological dimensions, such as obsessive-compulsive, anxiety, phobic anxiety, interpersonal sensitivity, paranoid ideation and positive symptom total.

Conclusions: Data of this study implies that the psychological health status of medical staff within the special social environment of an Ebola treatment unit should warrant more attention.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Dimensions of SCL90-R among 3 subgroups of participants working in observation and treatment ward or responsible for cleaning and disinfection. Concerning different working position, participants responsible for cleaning and disinfection showed significantly higher levels of obsessive-compulsive, anxiety, phobic anxiety (a) and Positive Symptom Total scales (b) than those in treatment ward (p < 0.05), while similar higher level of anxiety than those in observation ward (p < 0.05)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Dimensions of SCL90-R between male and female participants. More severity of interpersonal sensitivity, paranoid ideation (a) and Positive Symptom Total (b) was shown in male participants compared with female ones (p < 0.05)
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Dimensions of SCL90-R between nurses and hygienists. No difference of all the analyzed psychological dimensions was found between nurses and hygienists among neither psychological dimensions (a) nor positive symptom total (b) (p > 0.05)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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