The Experience of Quarantine for Individuals Affected by SARS in Toronto

Abstract

Public Health has a dual role of monitoring compliance and providing support to people in quarantine. This study has implications for public health policy and practice in planning for future public health emergencies in terms of the information and the resources required to mount an effective response.

New mothers' experiences of social disruption and isolation during the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak in Hong Kong

“…Similar effects of isolation were found in people who had exposure to the disease during the outbreak in Toronto, Canada (Cava et al. , 2005a, b).…”

Risk Perception and Compliance With Quarantine During the SARS Outbreak

“…In addition to identifying common themes about the experience of being quarantined, which are reported elsewhere (Cava, Fay, Beanlands, McCay, & Wignall, in press), the themes of risk perception and reported compliance and the relationship between them were important findings of the study. We defined risk perception as participants' beliefs about their level of risk of contracting or spreading SARS.…”

The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: rapid review of the evidence

“…Few reported positive feelings: 5% (48) reported feelings of happiness and 4% (43) reported feelings of relief. Qualitative studies also iden tified a range of other psy chological responses to quar antine, such as confusion, [11][12][13]23 fear, [12][13][14][15]23,24 anger, 12,13 grief, 29 numbness, 23 and anxietyinduced insomnia. 14,15 One study compared undergraduates who had been quarantined with those not quarantined immediately after the quarantine period and found no significant difference between the groups in terms of posttraumatic stress symptoms or general mental health problems.…”

“…A study 25 been quar antined avoided people who were coughing or sneezing, 26% (255) avoided crowded enclosed places, and 21% (204) avoided all public spaces in the weeks following the quarantine period. A qualitative study 13 reported that several participants described longterm behavioural changes after the quarantine period, such as vigilant handwashing and avoidance of crowds and, for some, the return to normality was delayed by many months.…”

“…Participants in eight studies reported fears about their own health or fears of infecting others 9,13,14,16,17,21,25,26 and were more likely to fear infecting family members than those not quarantined. 9 They also became particularly worried if they experienced any physical symptoms potentially related to the infection 14 and fear that the symptoms could reflect having the infection continued to be related to psychological outcomes several months later.…”