While part of the high rates of post-traumatic stress (PTSD) identified in healthcare workers during the pandemic was associated with COVID-19, researchers at the University of Oxford discovered that a larger percentage of cases were linked to trauma that occurred earlier in their life.
Clinical interviews, which are considered the gold-standard way to diagnosing mental health disorders, were conducted by 103 frontline healthcare workers who worked directly with COVID-19 patients.
Past Trauma May Aggravate PTSD In Healthcare Professionals
Those who suffer from PTSD must remain cool and calm in different situations, which is a truly tough task for them. During the pandemic, situations were worst which hit the mindset of such people also and trouble them with aggravation of their mental condition which is reported by a study group recently.
PTSD, sadness, and other mental health symptoms were found in large numbers among healthcare professionals in previous research conducted during the epidemic.
However, most studies have failed to determine if prior trauma was associated with symptoms or when symptoms first appeared, making it difficult to determine whether the high incidence of symptoms was caused by the epidemic.
Self-report assessments of symptoms have also been used in previous studies, which is a less accurate technique of diagnosing mental health issues.
Because the researchers conducted in-depth diagnostic interviews, the Oxford study greatly advances previous studies. Researchers discovered that PTSD-related stress was more likely to be related to work or personal trauma that occurred prior to the epidemic. Other significant findings include:
PTSD rates were high, at 44 percent, as were depression rates, at 39 percent.
76 percent of healthcare workers said they had experienced trauma unrelated to the pandemic.
During the COVID-19 epidemic, however, 24% of healthcare workers reported experiencing a traumatic event as a result of their work.
There was an equitable split between occupational and personal trauma connected to PTSD, with 52 percent of those diagnosed with PTSD reporting occupational trauma and 48 percent reporting personal trauma as the index event that triggered symptoms.
These are significant discoveries. They emphasize the importance of determining the trauma-related PTSD symptoms as well as the onset of symptoms.
Only then will we be able to determine which trauma is associated with PTSD symptoms.
This study contributes to a better understanding of PTSD in healthcare personnel.
It’s possible that the stressful nature of working during the pandemic aggravated symptoms or made recovery more difficult for the 76 percent of workers who had PTSD that wasn’t tied to the epidemic.
A large proportion, 24 percent, developed PTSD as a result of COVID-19 trauma.
While post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was more likely to occur prior to the pandemic, major depressive disorder was more likely to develop during the epidemic.
The epidemic has brought to light the high incidence of trauma and depression among healthcare professionals. Our data imply that much of this issue existed prior to the epidemic and was unrelated to it.
This necessitates a concentrated effort in service planning to better understand and support the needs of those who care for us.
The growing body of research examines the impacts of numerous traumatic stressors linked to COVID-19, as well as the consequences of less severe stress exposures. COVID-19 has already caused a slew of mental health issues, including anxiety, sadness, PTSD, and other trauma- and stress-related disorders.
As a result of the pandemic, certain populations have satisfied the DSM-5 qualifying criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD): People who have experienced major COVID-19 sickness and death; those who have observed others’ suffering and death as family members or health care providers; and those who have learned about the disease.
