Lee Dayoung, Lee Junghyun H, Jeon Kyoungsun, Lee Nabin, Sim Minyoung
Department of Psychiatry, National Center for Mental Health, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Division of Disaster Mental Health Services, National Center for Mental Health, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2022 Jun;16(3):1077-1082. doi: 10.1017/dmp.2021.32. Epub 2021 May 12.
In 2015, the outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in South Korea affected 186 patients and led to 38 bereaved families. This study aimed at investigating the nature and related factors of the psychological responses of MERS victims during the acute phase of disaster.
The MERS Psychological Support Team under the Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare provided counseling services to MERS survivors and bereaved families for 4 weeks, based on crisis intervention. In this study, we reviewed the counseling records of 109 survivors and 80 bereaved family members, and analyzed their epidemiological and MERS-related information along with psychological responses.
Somatic symptoms and anxiety related to social stigmatization or disease transmission were common in MERS survivors, whereas grief reactions such as sadness, and anger were frequently observed in bereaved families. Bereaved MERS survivors showed more avoidance/isolation than non-bereaved MERS survivors. Females, those with an underlying physical or psychiatric health condition, and those having experienced longer duration of hospitalization and non-healthcare workers were more at risk of suffering from psychological problems.
Survivors and bereaved families of epidemics can experience various psychological distresses depending on individual characteristics and the inherent features of the epidemic. Therefore, mental health in epidemics should be approached and considered more seriously.
2015年，韩国中东呼吸综合征（MERS）疫情致使186名患者感染，并造成38个家庭痛失亲人。本研究旨在调查灾难急性期MERS受害者心理反应的性质及相关因素。
韩国卫生与福利部下属的MERS心理支持团队基于危机干预，为MERS幸存者和失去亲人的家庭提供了为期4周的咨询服务。在本研究中，我们查阅了109名幸存者和80名失去亲人的家庭成员的咨询记录，并分析了他们的流行病学信息、与MERS相关的信息以及心理反应。
MERS幸存者中，与社会污名化或疾病传播相关的躯体症状和焦虑较为常见，而在失去亲人的家庭中，悲伤和愤怒等悲痛反应则较为频繁。失去亲人的MERS幸存者比未失去亲人的MERS幸存者表现出更多的回避/孤立行为。女性、患有基础身体或精神健康问题的人、住院时间较长的人以及非医护人员更容易出现心理问题。
疫情的幸存者和失去亲人的家庭可能会因个体特征和疫情的固有特点而经历各种心理困扰。因此，应更严肃地对待和考虑疫情中的心理健康问题。
