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MONDAY, May 4, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Nearly one in 10 people in parts of China hit hardest by COVID-19 report posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), according to a study published in the May issue of Psychiatry Research<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Nianqi Liu, from the Naval Medical University in Shanghai, and colleagues assessed the prevalence and predictors of PTSS in the areas of China hardest hit during the COVID-19 outbreak. The analysis included responses from 285 residents in Wuhan and surrounding cities on the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 and four items from the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index.<\/p>\n
The researchers found that the prevalence of PTSS in China’s hardest-hit areas a month after the COVID-19 outbreak was 7 percent. Significantly higher PTSS was seen in women for the domains of re-experiencing, negative alterations in cognition or mood, and hyper-arousal. Lower PTSS was seen among respondents with better sleep quality or less frequency of early awakenings.<\/p>\n
“Professional and effective mental health services should be designed in order to aid the psychological well-being of the population in affected areas, especially those living in hardest-hit areas, females, and people with poor sleep quality,” the authors write.<\/p>\n