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. 2020 May 15;20(1):605.
doi: 10.1186/s12889-020-08726-1.

Posttraumatic stress disorder and depression of survivors 12 months after the outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome in South Korea

Hye Yoon Park  1 , Wan Beom Park  2 , So Hee Lee  3 , Jeong Lan Kim  4 , Jung Jae Lee  5 , Haewoo Lee  6 , Hyoung-Shik Shin  7
Affiliations

Posttraumatic stress disorder and depression of survivors 12 months after the outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome in South Korea

Hye Yoon Park et al. BMC Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: The 2015 outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in the Republic of Korea is a recent and representative occurrence of nationwide outbreaks of Emerging Infectious Diseases (EIDs). In addition to physical symptoms, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression are common following outbreaks of EID.

Methods: The present study investigated the long-term mental health outcomes and related risk factors in survivors of MERS. A prospective nationwide cohort study was conducted 12 months after the MERS outbreak at multi-centers throughout Korea. PTSD and depression as the main mental health outcomes were assessed with the Impact of Event Scale-Revised Korean version (IES-R-K) and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) respectively.

Results: 42.9% of survivors reported PTSD (IES-R-K ≥ 25) and 27.0% reported depression (PHQ-9 ≥ 10) at 12 months post-MERS. A multivariate analysis revealed that anxiety (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 5.76; 95%CI, 1.29-25.58; P = 0.021), and a greater recognition of stigma (aOR, 11.09, 95%CI, 2.28-53.90; P = 0.003) during the MERS-affected period were independent predictors of PTSD at 12 months after the MERS outbreak. Having a family member who died from MERS predicted the development of depression (aOR, 12.08, 95%CI, 1.47-99.19; P = 0.020).

Conclusion: This finding implies that psychosocial factors, particularly during the outbreak phase, influenced the mental health of patients over a long-term period. Mental health support among the infected subjects and efforts to reduce stigma may improve recovery from psychological distress in an EID outbreak.

Keywords: Depression; Emerging infectious diseases; Mental health; Middle East respiratory syndrome; Posttraumatic stress disorder.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Recruitment of participants in survivors of the MERS outbreak in South Korea
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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