Ageing and psychological response during the post-SARS period

• Published in: Aging & mental health Vol. 10; no. 3; pp. 303 - 311
• Main Authors: Lee, T. M. C., Chi, I., Chung, L. W. M, Chou, K.-L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Routledge 01-05-2006
• Subjects: Adaptation, Psychological - physiology; Age Factors; Aged; Aging - psychology; Attitude to Health; Depressive Disorder - epidemiology; Depressive Disorder - psychology; Disease Outbreaks; Humans; Middle Aged; Personality Disorders - epidemiology; Personality Disorders - psychology; Prevalence; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales - statistics & numerical data; Residence Characteristics; Risk Factors; SARS coronavirus; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome - psychology; Severity of Illness Index; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - epidemiology; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - psychology
• ISSN: 1360-7863; 1364-6915
• DOI: 10.1080/13607860600638545

We studied the psychological impact of the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) to understand if age and residential location were risk factors associated with post-traumatic disturbance, namely intrusion, avoidance, and hyperarousal. One hundred and forty-six volunteers belonging to four groups classified along the dimensions of age (middle-aged versus older-aged) and location (high SARS-prevalent regions versus low SARS-prevalent regions), participated in this study. After controlling for depression, residents in high SARS-prevalent regions, regardless of age, consistently developed more intense post-traumatic disturbance than residents in low SARS-prevalent regions. Furthermore, the prevalence of probable post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) cases was significantly higher in older people and in residents of SARS-prevalent regions. Our findings suggest the importance of mental health aftercare in the post-epidemic period of disease epidemics.