Psychological effects of the SARS outbreak in Hong Kong on high-risk health care workers.
OBJECTIVE
To quantify stress and the psychological impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) on high-risk health care workers (HCWs).


METHODS
We evaluated 271 HCWs from SARS units and 342 healthy control subjects, using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) to assess stress levels and a structured list of putative psychological effects of SARS to assess its psychological effects. Healthy control subjects were balanced for age, sex, education, parenthood, living circumstances, and lack of health care experience.


RESULTS
Stress levels were raised in both groups (PSS = 18) but were not relatively increased in the HCWs. HCWs reported significantly more positive (94%, n = 256) and more negative psychological effects (89%, n = 241) from SARS than did control subjects. HCWs declared confidence in infection-control measures.


CONCLUSIONS
In HCWs, adaptive responses to stress and the positive effects of infection control training may be protective in future outbreaks. Elevated stress in the population may be an important indicator of future psychiatric morbidity.
Department of Psychiatry, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, SAR, China. sechua@hkucc.hku.hk
Siew E
SE
Chua
Vinci
V
Cheung
Charlton
C
Cheung
Grainne M
GM
McAlonan
Josephine W S
JW
Wong
Erik P T
EP
Cheung
Marco T Y
MT
Chan
Michael M C
MM
Wong
Siu W
SW
Tang
Khai M
KM
Choy
Meng K
MK
Wong
Chung M
CM
Chu
Kenneth W T
KW
Tsang
D000328:Adult; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005221:Fatigue / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006723:Hong Kong / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D045169:Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires