Prevalence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in Healthcare Workers following the First SARS-CoV Epidemic of 2003: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

The world is still in the grip of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, with putative psychological consequences for healthcare workers (HCWs). Exploring the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during the first SARS-CoV-1 epidemic in 2003 may inform us of the long-term effects of the actual pandemic, as well as putative influencing factors such as contact with the virus, time effects, or the importance of some sociodemographic data. This information may help us develop efficient preventive strategies. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis on the prevalence of PTSD in HCWs following the SARS-CoV-1 in 2003. PubMed, Embase, Google Scholar, Psychinfo, and Web of Science were searched until September 2022. Random-effects meta-analyses were stratified by the time of follow-up. We included 14 studies: 4842 HCWs (32.0 years old, 84% women). The overall prevalence of PTSD was 14% (95CI 10 to 17%). The prevalence of PTSD was 16% (8 to 24%) during the epidemic, 19% (16 to 22%) within 6 months after the epidemic, and 8% (4 to 13%) more than one year after the end of the epidemic. The longest follow-up was three years after the epidemic, with 10% of HCWs with PTSD. Nevertheless, the prevalence of PTSD was significantly lower more than one year after the end of the epidemic than the first six months after the epidemic (Coefficient −10.4, 95CI −17.6 to −3.2, p = 0.007). In conclusion, the prevalence of PTSD in HCWs was high during the first epidemic of SARS-CoV in 2003 and remained high in the long term. The lessons from the SARS-CoV-1 epidemic may help prevent a wave of PTSD following the latest COVID-19 pandemic.

Work-related stress of companies' directors during the first lockdown due to the COVID-19

“…For example, using complementary validated questionnaires such as job-demand-control-support or effortreward-imbalance models (41) may offer the possibility to build efficient preventive strategy, using predictive models (43,44). Our study may have practical implications considering the putative very long-term (several years) impact of the pandemic on mental health, as we demonstrated on other population during the SARS-CoV-1 epidemic in 2003 (45).…”

Acute stress symptoms in general population during the first wave of COVID lockdown in Italy: Results from the COMET trial

“…Stressful life events, such as natural disasters (Carmassi et al., 2020 , 2021; Dell'Osso et al., 2011 ), wars (Kang et al., 2019; Patton et al., 2021 ; Taylor et al., 2020 ), pandemics (Alberque et al., 2022 ; Chau et al., 2021 ; Delanerolle et al., 2022 : Hassan et al, 2022 ; Volpe et al, 2022 ), represent indisputable triggers for the onset of acute stress or post‐traumatic stress symptoms in exposed people, including hyperarousal, reexperiencing of the stressful event or intruding memories, and flashbacks which could lead to a global functional impairment and complications as maladaptive behaviors or increased risk of suicidal attempts (American Psychiatric Association, 2013 ). The increased alarm due to the worldwide pandemic and the direct effects of lockdown measures led to a significant increase in the perception of the risk of contagion and, consequently, a constant feeling of threat.…”

Prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder risk post-COVID-19 in 12 countries in Latin America: a cross-sectional survey

“…There is evidence that several illnesses, such as hypertension ( 14 ), diabetes ( 15 , 16 ), Ebola ( 17–19 ), SARS ( 20 ), dengue ( 21 ), H7N9 ( 22 ), and H1N1 ( 23 ), can generate post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD has been defined as a mental health condition that can affect people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event, series of events, or set of circumstances.…”