Psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Chinese population: An online survey

Abstract

BACKGROUND The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic infiltrates every aspect of our life, including the psychological impact. China has experienced the first wave of this epidemic, and it is now affecting the global population. AIM This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and associated factors of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among the general Chinese population. METHODS A detailed questionnaire, comprising of 38 questions designed in both English and Chinese, was developed. The survey was conducted via WeChat, a multi-purpose messaging, social media, and mobile payment app, which is widely used by the Chinese population. RESULTS In total, 1082 individuals from 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities participated in the survey by filling the questionnaires through the WeChat app. 97.8% of the participants had an Impact of Event-Scale-Revised (IES-R) total score above 20, which is an indicator of PTSD. The IES-R total and all the three subscales, including intrusion, avoidance, and hyperarousal, are significantly correlated with age. In addition, age, profession, marital status, and level of education are significantly correlated with the degree of PTSD symptoms. CONCLUSION The COVID-19 epidemic has widely caused PTSD among the general Chinese population. These results bear important implications for regions struggling with the pandemic to implement effective interventions to cope with these mental health problems.

The Rise of Functional Tic-Like Behaviors: What Do the COVID-19 Pandemic and Social Media Have to Do With It? A Narrative Review

“…Prior studies demonstrated both short-and long-term psychological effects of pandemics/epidemics including increased post-traumatic stress symptoms, anxiety, depression, helplessness, and risky behaviors (107)(108)(109)(110)(111)(112)(113). The overall rates of depression and anxiety are higher during COVID-19 than prior 16 UNESCO.…”

Symptoms and risk factors of depression and PTSD in the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic: A longitudinal survey conducted from 2020 to 2022 in Japan

“…A Brunet, M Rivest-Beauregard, M Lonergan, S Cipolletta, A Rasmussen, X Meng, N Jaafari, S Romero, J Superka, AD Brown, et al [31] conducted a survey to investigate PTSD during the COVID-19 pandemic across countries, which indicated few participants met the clinical threshold for PTSD; accordingly, these authors noted that PTSD was not a common symptom associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. On the other hand, some studies concerning China, the Philippines, northern Iran, Poland, and Italy found high levels of PTSD symptoms during the pandemic [32][33][34][35][36][37]. According to the American Psychiatric Association [38],…”

Pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 and Mycobacterium tuberculosis Coinfection

“…The emergence of β-CoVs (SARS-CoV in 2002 and MERS-CoV in 2012) demonstrated the emerging possibility of new pathogenic CoVs in humans via zoonotic transmission ( 1 , 2 ). The pathogenic CoV, SARS-CoV-2, causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), first reported in Wuhan, China, in late 2019, resulting in severe global public health issues and substantial economic losses ( 3 – 5 ). Bats act as a reservoir for CoVs; therefore, it is speculated that the SARS-CoV-2 originated in horseshoe bats before transmitting to humans via an unknown intermediate host ( 6 ).…”