Department of Biomedicine and Health Sciences, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, South Korea.
Institute of Biomedical Industry, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, South Korea.
Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2017 Nov;71(11):759-768. doi: 10.1111/pcn.12546. Epub 2017 Jul 31.
The Sewol ferry capsizing accident on South Korea's southern coast resulted in the death of 304 people, and serious bereavement problems for their families. Electroencephalography (EEG) beta frequency is associated with psychiatric symptoms, such as insomnia. The aim of this study was to investigate the relation between frontal beta power, psychological symptoms, and insomnia in the bereaved families.
Eighty-four family members of the Sewol ferry victims (32 men and 52 women) were recruited and their EEG was compared with that of 25 (13 men and 12 women) healthy controls. A two-channel EEG device was used to measure cortical activity in the frontal lobe. Symptom severity of insomnia, post-traumatic stress disorder, complicated grief, and anxiety were evaluated.
The bereaved families showed a higher frontal beta power than healthy controls. Subgroup analysis showed that frontal beta power was lower in the individuals with severe insomnia than in those with normal sleep. There was a significant inverse correlation between frontal beta power and insomnia symptom in the bereaved families.
This study suggests that increased beta power, reflecting the psychopathology in the bereaved families of the Sewol ferry disaster, may be a compensatory mechanism that follows complex trauma. Frontal beta power could be a potential marker indicating the severity of sleep disturbances. Our results suggest that sleep disturbance is an important symptom in family members of the Sewol ferry disaster's victims, which may be screened by EEG beta power.
韩国南部海域“世越号”客轮倾覆事故导致 304 人死亡，遇难者家属承受着严重的丧亲之痛。脑电图（EEG）β 频带与失眠等精神症状有关。本研究旨在探讨遇难者家属额叶β功率与心理症状和失眠之间的关系。
招募了 84 名“世越号”客轮遇难者家属（32 名男性，52 名女性），并将他们的 EEG 与 25 名健康对照者（13 名男性，12 名女性）的 EEG 进行了比较。使用双通道 EEG 设备测量额叶皮质活动。评估失眠、创伤后应激障碍、复杂悲痛和焦虑的症状严重程度。
遇难者家属的额叶β功率高于健康对照组。亚组分析显示，严重失眠者的额叶β功率低于睡眠正常者。遇难者家属的额叶β功率与失眠症状呈显著负相关。
本研究表明，增加的β功率反映了“世越号”沉船事故遇难者家属的精神病理学，可能是一种复杂创伤后的代偿机制。额叶β功率可能是睡眠障碍严重程度的潜在标志物。我们的结果表明，睡眠障碍是“世越号”沉船事故受害者家属的一个重要症状，可能通过 EEGβ 功率进行筛查。
