scholarly journals Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) and the risk of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A mental health concern in Nepal

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 841-844
Author(s):  
Mohammad Asim ◽  
Edwin Van Teijlingen ◽  
Brijesh Sathian

The sudden outbreak of Coronavirus-19 disease (COVID-19) is transforming the psychology and interpersonal relationships of millions across the globe. In Nepal, there is a need for national mental health surveys post COVID-19. This pandemic can cause traumatic experiences to the patients, caregivers, those quarantined and frontline healthcare providers which may lead to PTSD. Special attention should be focused on high-risk individuals, including policies to implement regular screening of PTSD symptoms. 

2005 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 387-395 ◽  
Author(s):  
RUTH A. PARSLOW ◽  
ANTHONY F. JORM ◽  
HELEN CHRISTENSEN

Background. While pre-trauma personality and mental health measures are risk factors for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), such information is usually obtained following the trauma and can be influenced by post-trauma distress. We used data collected from a community-based survey of young adults before and after a major natural disaster to examine the extent to which participants' traumatic experiences, demographic and pre-trauma risk factors were associated with their screening positive for PTSD when re-interviewed.Method. A representative selection of 2085 young adults from the Australian Capital Territory and environs, interviewed in 1999 as part of a longitudinal community-based survey, were re-interviewed 3–18 months after a major bushfire had occurred in the region. When re-interviewed, they were asked about their experiences of trauma threat, uncontrollable and controllable traumatic experiences and their reaction to the fire. They were also screened for symptoms of fire-related PTSD experienced in the week prior to interview.Results. Four-fifths of participants were exposed to the trauma with around 50% reporting having experienced uncontrollable traumatic events. Reporting PTSD symptoms was associated with being female, having less education, poorer mental health and higher levels of neuroticism prior to the trauma. Particular fire experiences, including being evacuated and feeling very distressed during the disaster, were more strongly associated with PTSD symptoms compared with pre-trauma measures.Conclusions. While demographic and pre-trauma mental health increased the likelihood of reporting PTSD symptoms, exposure to trauma threat and reaction to the trauma made greater contributions in explaining such symptoms as a result of this disaster.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nisha Kader ◽  
Bushra Elhusein ◽  
Nirvana Swamy Kudlur Chandrappa ◽  
Abdulqadir J. Nashwan ◽  
Prem Chandra ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Intensive care unit (ICU) staff have faced unprecedented challenges during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which could significantly affect their mental health and well-being. The present study aimed to investigate perceived stress and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms reported by ICU staff working directly with COVID-19 patients. Methods The Perceived Stress Scale was used to assess perceived stress, the PTSD Diagnostic Scale for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th edition) was used to determine PTSD symptoms, and a sociodemographic questionnaire was used to record different sociodemographic variables. Results Altogether, 124 participants (57.2% of whom were men) were included in the analysis. The majority of participants perceived working in the ICU with COVID-19 patients as moderately to severely stressful. Moreover, 71.4% of doctors and 74.4% of nurses experienced moderate-to-severe perceived stress. The staff with previous ICU experience were less likely to have a probable diagnosis of PTSD than those without previous ICU experience. Conclusions Assessing perceived stress levels and PTSD among ICU staff may enhance our understanding of COVID-19-induced mental health challenges. Specific strategies to enhance ICU staff’s mental well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic should be employed and monitored regularly. Interventions aimed at alleviating sources of anxiety in a high-stress environment may reduce the likelihood of developing PTSD.


Salud Mental ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (6) ◽  
pp. 303-310
Author(s):  
Janet Real-Ramírez ◽  
Luis Alberto García-Bello ◽  
Rebeca Robles-García ◽  
Montserrat Martínez ◽  
Karime Adame-Rivas ◽  
...  

Introduction. In Mexico, a National Mental Health Strategy was implemented to identify and attend the mental health repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic. It included the creation of five virtual clinics for health workers, being the Burnout, Post-traumatic Stress and Compassion Fatigue clinic one of them. Objective. To describe the basal sociodemographic and psychological characteristics of health workers attending online mindfulness sessions as part of the treatment of the aforementioned clinic. Method. This is a cross-sectional report part of a major nationwide and longitudinal project. All attendants responded to digital sociodemographics and COVID-19 questionnaires, the Extended Physician Well-Being Index (EPWBI), and the Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) TOP-8 index. Results. Of the 507 health workers that participated, 70.02% of them were at risk of burnout according to the Extended Well-Being Index and 57.31, 7.91 and 2.77% had a mild, moderate, and severe risk of PTSD, respectively. The most affected were the female health workers, from metropolitan or central areas of the country, and those diagnosed with COVID-19 or exposed to a person with the diagnosis. Discussion and conclusion. Mexican health workers attending mindfulness sessions presented high frequencies of PTSD symptoms and burnout. Female workers at urban hospitals could be at a special risk for developing PTSD or Well-ness alterations, and thus, they must be cared for closely, particularly those having direct contact with COVID 19 positive persons. The early participation in mental health strategies might lessen the immediate and long-term pandemic effects.


2022 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-19
Author(s):  
Patricia Lynn Dobkin

The Japanese practice an ancient art called Kintsugi. A craftsperson repairs broken pottery with gold or silver rendering it more beautiful than in its original state. Can clinicians engage in “Kintsugi Mind” and thereby emerge from this pandemic integrated and whole? Yuan et al. (2021) conducted a meta-analysis including 88 studies of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following earlier pandemics and COVID-19. Health care professionals had the highest prevalence (26.9%) compared to infected cases and the public. Another type of trauma is called secondary or vicarious; it occurs when a person bears witness to suffering and death but remains powerless to change it; countless clinicians have experienced this over the past year. It manifests as emotional depletion, anxiety, insomnia, and impaired interpersonal relationships. How can clinicians heal from their exposure to the pandemic? Post-traumatic growth (PTG) is defined as positive psychological changes following trauma. PTG manifests in five areas: appreciation of life, relating to others, personal strength, recognizing new possibilities, and spiritual change. A transformation in the person’s world view and their place in it ensues. For health care professionals who are experiencing emotional distress, insomnia, or manifest PTSD symptoms they may heal by engaging in the six “Rs.” These are: relating, resourcing, repatterning, reprocessing, reflecting, and rituals. Both PTG and these six practices may contribute to Kintsugi Mind. While this appears to place the onus on individuals, it is crucial that leaders in the health care system implement programs enabling HCPs to be restored, rather than broken by this crisis.  


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Phiri ◽  
Isabel Clarke ◽  
Lydia Baxter ◽  
Kathryn Elliot ◽  
Shanaya Rathod ◽  
...  

Traumatic experiences are known to have a significant impact upon one’s physical and mental health. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is understood to be a common mental health consequence of trauma. However, Complex Trauma and consequences of adverse childhood experiences appear more prevalent and a serious public health concern that hinders the individual’s daily existence, thus emphasising the need to implement a culturally free treatment intervention. In this chapter, we begin by introducing traumatic experiences in several contexts and explore the treatment for trauma. It will focus on a research study that employs Comprehend, Cope and Connect (CCC), a third wave CBT approach, to deliver a culturally free form of therapy that has been adapted for individuals from diverse populations. The CCC approach’s relevance to cultural adaptation is explained and discussed through the use of two case examples from the main study. The Culture Free study found that CCC was both feasible and acceptable in diverse populations, echoing existing research on cultural adaptations which found use of mindfulness to be accepted and appreciated as an effective intervention that can elicit concrete positive change across a broad range of mental health presentations, including trauma and trans-diagnostically. Further investigations utilising a robust methodology and powered sample are warranted in particular with diverse populations presenting with complex trauma.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clarisse Marie Claudine SIMBI ◽  
Yuhong Zhang ◽  
Zhizhong Wang

Abstract Background: Prior studies indicated that post-traumatic stress disorder is becoming a global health concern even though still poorly known and treated. In the aftermath of 1994 Genocide against Tutsi, studies found high rates of depressive and anxious symptoms along with PTSD among genocide survivors. Due to the highest cruelty in which the Genocide was committed, genocide survivors still need high special humanitarian services, of those including specialized health care services. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of psychosocial group therapies created by AVEGA Agahozo in reducing PTSD symptoms among Genocide survivors in Rwanda, 25 years after 1994 Genocide against Tutsi.Methods: We conducted a comparative cross-sectional study design with a sample of 98 genocide survivors who received group therapy by AVEGA Agahozo. We used a multi-stage random sampling method to select participants and 7 trained psychologists interviewed genocide survivors about their PTSD status before and after treatment using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition. The analysis was performed using SPSS version 17.1.Results: The results showed that women were 97.96% and men presented 2.04% of all participants because AVEGA Agahozo mainly focuses on helping women survivors who lost their husbands in Genocide and previous findings also concluded that women are very prone to suffer from PTSD than men. Paired t-test results showed significant differences between symptoms, before and after treatment (P<0.001 in all pairs). Cohen's d results also showed high effect sizes (d>0.5), only in pair 8 where the difference appears to be less significant (d=0.28). The descriptive statistics showed that the severity of PTSD symptoms dramatically reduced after treatment. But this difference of severity is only statistically significant among five (5) PTSD symptoms.: (Marked physiological reactivity after exposure to trauma-related stimuli [P=0.045, x2=38.111]; inability to recall key features of the traumatic event [P<001, x2=56.309]; persistent negative trauma-related emotions [P=0.013, x2=43.184]; self-destructive or reckless behavior [P=0.041, x2=38.535]; hypervigilance [P=0.020, x2=41.596]. Conclusion: Psychosocial group therapies created by AVEGA Agahozo effectively alleviate post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and severity among genocide survivors.


2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 199-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olurinde Oni, MD, MS ◽  
Emily W. Harville, PhD ◽  
Xu Xiong, MD, DrPH ◽  
Pierre Buekens, MD, PhD

Objective: Experiencing natural disasters such as hurricanes is associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression.We examined the role played by perceived stress and coping styles in explaining and modifying this association among pregnant women exposed to Hurricane Katrina.Design: The study comprised 192 women (133 from New Orleans and 59 from Baton Rouge) who were pregnant during Hurricane Katrina or became pregnant immediately after the hurricane. Women were interviewed regarding their hurricane experience, perceived stress, and mental health outcomes. Coping styles was assessed using the Brief COPE, PTSD symptoms using the Post-Traumatic Checklist, and depressive symptoms using the Edinburgh Depression Scale. Multivariable regression models were run to determine the effects of coping styles on mental health and the interactions among coping styles, hurricane experience, and perceived stress on mental health.Results: Apart from the positive reframing and humor coping styles, all coping styles correlated positively with PTSD or depression (p 0.05). The instrumental support, denial, venting, and behavioral disengagement coping styles were significantly associated with worsened PTSD symptoms among those who reported higher perceived stress (p 0.05). Use of a humor coping style seemed to reduce the effect of perceived stress on depressive symptoms (p = 0.02 for interaction) while use of instrumental support (p = 0.04) and behavioral disengagement (p 0.01) were both associated with more symptoms of depression among those who perceived more stress. There were no strong interactions between coping style and hurricane experience.Conclusion: Coping styles are potential moderators of the effects of stress on mental health of pregnant women.


Author(s):  
Kathryn A. V. Clements ◽  
Mackenzie Sprecher ◽  
Sydney Modica ◽  
Michelle Terrones ◽  
Katie Gregory ◽  
...  

AbstractAlthough prior research has established that intimate partner violence (IPV) often leads to increased depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), little is known about how often abusive partners and ex-partners use survivors’ children as an abuse tactic, nor whether this form of IPV also is detrimental to survivors’ mental health. The current study interviewed 299 unstably housed survivors of intimate partner violence shortly after they sought services from a domestic violence agency. All participants were parents of minor children. In-person interviews asked about abuse experienced in the prior six months, including the ways children were used as a form of IPV. Participants were also asked about their current depression, anxiety, and symptoms of PTSD. As hypothesized, the majority of parents reported their abusive partners and ex-partners had used their children as a form of IPV to control and hurt them. Further, after controlling for other forms of IPV, use of the children significantly predicted both increased anxiety and greater number of PTSD symptoms. Results show the importance of focusing on the use of children as a common and injurious form of abuse used against survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV).


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taraschi Gianmarco ◽  
Manin Emily ◽  
Bianchi De Micheli Francesco ◽  
Abdulcadir Jasmine

Abstract Background: Women with FGM/C are known to have psychological sequelae from the cutting and other traumatic experiences. However, very few studies report immediate psychological sequelae of genital reconstructive surgeries for this population. The present case is the first to our knowledge to report PTSD symptoms immediately following defibulation, a procedure common in women with FGM/C type III.Case presentation: We present the case of a 31-year-old nulliparous woman in the second trimester of pregnancy with FGM/C type IIIa who was referred for antepartum defibulation to facilitate a vaginal birth. Immediately after an uncomplicated surgery under local anaesthesia and just before the first micturition, she developed post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and suddenly recalled the traumatic experience of her first micturition after FGM/C when she was a child in Sudan. The woman was offered psychiatric follow-up with psychotherapy for four months and a short course of benzodiazepines. She had fully recovered by the time of delivery, four months after surgery.Conclusions: We discuss the possibility of recall of a past traumatic experience of FGM/C during defibulation or other genital surgeries. We review the benefits and risks of defibulation, the impact of this procedure, and the setting and timing in which it is performed, focusing on women's mental health and psychological support.


Author(s):  
Andreas Chatzittofis ◽  
Maria Karanikola ◽  
Kyriaki Michailidou ◽  
Anastasia Constantinidou

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has a great impact on healthcare workers (HCWs) that includes negative mental health outcomes, such as post-traumatic stress, anxiety and depressive symptoms. In this cross-sectional study, we report on mental health outcomes among HCWs in Cyprus. Data were collected between 3 May and 27 May 2020, with the use of an online questionnaire that included demographics (sex, age, occupation, education, work sector, years of work experience), the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) which assesses depressive symptoms, the Impact of Events Scale Revised (IES-R), which measures post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and the-10 item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) which quantifies stress responses. Participants (42% physicians, 24% nurses, 18% physiotherapists, 16% classified as “other”) were 58% of female gender and aged 21–76. A total of 79 (18.6%) and 62 HCWs (14.6%) reported clinically significant depressive (PHQ-9 ≥ 10) and post-traumatic stress (IES-R > 33) symptoms respectively. Nurses were more likely than physicians to suffer from depression (adjusted prevalence ratio 1.7 (1.06–2.73); p = 0.035) and PTSD (adjusted prevalence ratio 2.51 (1.49–4.23); p = 0.001). Even in a country with a rather low spread of the COVID-19, such as Cyprus, HCWs reported a substantial mental health burden, with nurses reporting increased depressive and PTSD symptoms compared to other HCWs.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document