Post-traumatic stress disorder and psychological distress in Chinese youths following the COVID-19 emergency.

Leilei Liang,Tingting Gao,Ruilin Cao,Songli Mei,Chuanen Li,Yueyang Hu,Zeying Qin,Hui Ren

doi:10.1177/1359105320937057

Leilei Liang, Tingting Gao + Show 6 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105320937057

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Abstract

This study aims to explore the relationship between psychological distress and post-traumatic stress disorder among Chinese participants as the result of COVID-19 outbreak. This study was conducted within 1 month after COVID-19 appeared in China, it included 570 participants age from 14 to 35. The results indicated that 12.8% of all participants with the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and the effects of psychological distress on post-traumatic stress disorder was mediated by negative coping style. Gender moderated the direct effect between psychological distress and post-traumatic stress disorder, which is a significant discovery for relevant departments to take further measures.

Highlights

At the end of 2019, a series of cases of an unfamiliar type of pneumonia has been reported in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China
This study provides references that are significant for relevant clinical researches, and they can help psychiatrists to effectively identify the groups with mental health issues due to the COVID-19 outbreak (Zhou et al, 2013)
12.8% of participants were diagnosed with PTSD, which indicates the significance of the public health emergency

Summary

Introduction

At the end of 2019, a series of cases of an unfamiliar type of pneumonia has been reported in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China. On 30 January 2020, the World Health Organization announced a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) (WHO, 2020). This public health emergency damages people’s physical health, and have a significant impact on their mental health (Huang et al, 2020; Wang et al, 2020c). Psychological distress as a broader manifestation of mental health-related problems, which is characterized by symptoms of depression anxiety, stressrelated concerns and it is known to continue to show severity (Drapeau et al, 2012). Psychological distress mainly included related psychological problems such as depression, anxiety, and stress

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