Abstract
Objective: Although quarantine is an effective measure for the prevention of the spread of infectious diseases, it may have negative effects on the mental health of the isolated individual. During the 2015 outbreak of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in Korea, healthcare workers came in contact with patients with MERS were quarantined either at home or in a hospital ward. In this study, we aimed to compare the psychiatric symptoms of these employees according to the method of quarantine.Methods: All 146 quarantined staff completed self-report questionnaires. Depressive symptoms were measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, anxiety symptoms were assessed using Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and acute stress disorder (ASD) symptoms were evaluated using the Stanford Acute Stress Reaction Questionnaire.Results: The in-hospital quarantine group had a higher rate of symptoms of depression (p < 0.001) and ASD (p = 0.014) than the group quarantined at home. Logistic regression analysis showed that respondents quarantined in the hospital (OR = 6.342; 95% CI 1.853–21.708) and those quarantined for longer periods (OR = 1.153, 95% CI = 1.036–1.285) had a higher risk of depressive symptoms.Conclusions: In-hospital quarantine and quarantine for longer periods increase the risk of depressive symptoms. When quarantine measures are taken, certain measures are needed to minimize the risk of psychiatric problems. Appropriate interventions should be implemented if psychiatric problems occur.
Highlights
The rapid spread of the 2019 Coronavirus disease (COVID19) resulted in the declaration of a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization on January 30, 2020 [1]
The three participants were excluded from the subsequent analysis where the location of quarantine was in question
The present study revealed that a large number of quarantined staff showed symptoms of depression (26%) and acute stress disorder (ASD) (9.5%)
Summary
The rapid spread of the 2019 Coronavirus disease (COVID19) resulted in the declaration of a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization on January 30, 2020 [1]. During the outbreak of the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection in Korea from May to December 2015, there were 186 cases of infection and 38 deaths (20.4% of the total number of cases); 16,752 individuals were quarantined due to exposure to persons with MERS [2]. During these epidemics, quarantine was a useful measure widely used to stop the spread of the diseases. Previous studies have reported an increased risk of alcohol use disorder and depression among quarantined healthcare workers, even 3 years after the SARS outbreak [10, 17]
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