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Psychological Responses Among Korean Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Survivors and Bereaved Families

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 May 2021

Dayoung Lee ,
Junghyun H Lee ,
Kyoungsun Jeon ,
Nabin Lee  and
Minyoung Sim
Dayoung Lee
Affiliation:
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
Junghyun H Lee
Affiliation:
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
Kyoungsun Jeon
Affiliation:
Division of Disaster Mental Health Services, National Center for Mental Health, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Nabin Lee
Affiliation:
Division of Disaster Mental Health Services, National Center for Mental Health, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Minyoung Sim*
Affiliation:
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
*
Corresponding author: Minyoung Sim, Email: minyoung.sim.yb@gmail.com.
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Abstract

Objective:

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.

Methods:

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.

Results:

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.

Conclusions:

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.

Keywords

middle east respiratory syndromesurvivorsbereaved familypsychological responsesinfectious disease
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 16 , Issue 3 , June 2022 , pp. 1077 - 1082
Copyright
© Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2021

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