Effects of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus on post-traumatic stress disorder and burnout among registered nurses in South Korea

Abstract

Background: The unprecedented nationwide outbreak of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavarius (MERS-CoV) from June to July in 2015 took the Korean healthcare system unexpectedly and created physical and psychological stress and trauma to Registered Nurses unprepared to deal with the viral outbreak. Purpose: We investigated the effects of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and burnout among Korean registered nurses (RNs). Methods: A descriptive cross sectional design using a self-administered survey of a convenience sample of 112 Korean RNs. The Impact of Event Scale-Revised-Korean version (IES-R-K) for PTSD and the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) for burnout were utilized. Results: Overall prevalence for symptoms of PTSD was 50.0%. PTSD was significantly correlated to burnout (r = .480, p = .000), especially two burnout subscales, emotional exhaustion (r = .533, p = .000), and depersonalization (r = .497, p = .000). Conclusions: Future anticipatory guidance and management of traumatic outbreak or disaster should be considered for nurses' mental health. Public health and safety at the national level must address quality health outcomes for both patients and healthcare professionals alike.

The Influence of the Ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic on Family Violence in China

“…In this regard, longer duration of quarantine was associated with a higher risk of distress and PTSD (Hawryluck et al 2004). Similarly, research on the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) outbreak confirms that this pandemic accompanied by quarantine may have led to mental health problems among the respondents studied (Jeong et al 2016;Kim et al 2018). A more recent study examining the impact of COVID-19 upon the psychological problems of the Chinese respondents shows higher rates of anxiety, depression, hazardous and harmful alcohol use, and lower mental wellbeing as compared with the usual ratios (Ahmed et al 2020).…”

The prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder related symptoms in Coronavirus outbreaks: A systematic-review and meta-analysis

“…Z. 2020 Asia (China) Cross-sectional study (Healthcare workers) COVID-19 During pandemic 93.5 230 43 187 20-59 (32.6; 6.2) Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Self-rating Scale (PTSD-SS) 18.6 29.41 27.39 42.92 (17.88) 12 24 Jung, H. 2020 Asia (South Korea) Cross-sectional study (Healthcare workers) MERS After the pandemic; October 1 through November 30, 2015 49 147 0 147 - Impact of Event Scale–Revised Korean version - 25.1 - - 13 21 Kim, Y. 2018 Asia (South Korea) Cross-sectional study (Healthcare workers) MERS During the outbreak 97.39 112 13 99 22-42 (28.7; 4.43) Impact of Event Scale–Revised Korean version - - 50 26.63 (12.96) 14 16 Kwek, S. K. 2006 Asia (Singapore) Cross-sectional study (Survivors) SARS 3 months post-discharge 40 63 13 50 21-65 (34.83; 10.49) The Impact of Event Scale (IES) - - 41.7 21.8 (16.3) 15a 16 Lancee, W. J.…”

“…Most included studies assessed the prevalence of PTSD symptoms during or after the SARS outbreak (n= 19) ( Assar et al., 2010 ; Chan and Huak, 2004 ; C. S. Chen et al., 2005 ; Chong et al., 2004 ; Hawryluck et al., 2004 ; Hong et al., 2009 ; Kwek et al., 2006 ; Lancee et al., 2008 ; Lau, Yang, Tsui, Pang, & Wing, 2006 ; T. M. Lee, Chi, Chung, & Chou, 2006 ; Mak et al., 2010 ; Sim et al., 2010 ; Sin & Huak, 2004 ; Su et al., 2007 ; Tham et al., 2005 ; K. K. Wu et al., 2005a , 2005b ; P. Wu et al., 2009 ; Hong et al., 2009 ); followed by COVID-19 (n= 12) ( Chew et al., 2020 ; Gonzalez-Sanguino et al., 2020 ; Guo et al., 2020 ; Hao et al., 2020 ; Huang & Zhao, 2020 ; Liang et al., 2020 ; Liu et al., 2020 ; Sun et al., 2020 ; Tan et al., 2020 ; Tang et al., 2020 ; C. Wang et al., 2020 ; Yin et al., 2020 ) and MERS (n= 7) ( Jung et al., 2020 ; Kim et al., 2018 ; S. H. Lee et al., 2019 ; S. M. Lee et al., 2018 ; Park et al., 2020 ; Shin et al., 2019 ; Um et al., 2017 ); respectively. The IES-R (n= 17) ( Chew et al., 2020 ; Hao et al., 2020 ; Hawryluck et al., 2004 ; Jung et al., 2020 ; Kim et al., 2018 ; S. H. Lee et al., 2019 ; S. M. Lee et al., 2018 ; T. M. Lee et al., 2006 ; Park et al., 2020 ; Reynolds et al., 2008 ; Sim et al., 2010 ; Tan et al., 2020 ; Um et al., ...…”

“…We found 15 studies estimated the prevalence of PTSD related symptoms among healthcare workers; including 5628 participants from Canada (n= 1) ( Lancee et al., 2008 ), China (n= 3) ( Huang & Zhao, 2020 ; P. Wu et al., 2009 ; Yin et al., 2020 ), Singapore (n= 4)( Chan and Huak, 2004 ; Sin & Huak, 2004 ; W. Tan et al., 2020 ; Tham et al., 2005 ), Singapore and India (n= 1) ( Chew et al., 2020 ), South Korea (n= 4) ( Jung et al., 2020 ; Kim et al., 2018 ; S. M. Lee et al., 2018 ; Um et al., 2017 ), and Taiwan (n= 2) (C. S. Chen et al., 2005 ; Su et al., 2007 ). One study only reported the mean and standard deviation of the IES score and was excluded from the meta-analysis ( Chong et al., 2004 ).…”

South Korean Nurses’ Experiences with Patient Care at a COVID-19-Designated Hospital: Growth after the Frontline Battle against an Infectious Disease Pandemic

“…Confusion regarding the frequent changes in infection control protocol has also been reported by nurses during other global pandemic situations, including MERS [25] and human swine influenza [30]. The nonspecific and frequently changing infection control guidelines not only resulted in confusion, but also caused nurses to experience anxiety and stress due to decreased trust [31]. When caring for infected patients, nurses' confidence in their ability to protect themselves from infection is positively correlated with their willingness to provide patient care [32], suggesting that infection control guidelines must be specific and clear to increase nurses' confidence in their ability to avoid infection.…”