2015년 한국 메르스 사태 1년 이후 생존자들의 정신과적 문제

• Published in: Singyŏng chŏngsin ŭihak Vol. 58; no. 3; pp. 245 - 251
• Main Author: 신지윤, 박혜윤, 김정란, 이정재, 이해우, 이소희(So Hee
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Korean
• Published: 대한신경정신의학회 31.08.2019
• Subjects: 정신과학; Depression; Posttraumatic stress disorder; Middle east respiratory syndrome; Emerging infectious diseases; Mental health
• ISSN: 1015-4817; 2289-0963
• DOI: 10.4306/jknpa.2019.58.3.245

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. KCI Citation Count: 0