A Study on the Mental Health and Burnout of Medical Staff Responding to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 / 신경정신의학

Objectives@#This study was conducted to identify the level of mental health and burnout of medical staff at hospitals and public health centers, which responded to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in South Korea and to suggest appropriate management plans. @*Methods@#The mental health and burnout levels of medical staff responding to COVID-19 were evaluated through an online survey conducted during the period July 1–14, 2021. To analyze the mental health status of the participants according to their demographic characteristics, the chisquare test, t-test, and an analysis of variance were conducted, followed by Scheffe post-hoc tests for pairwise comparisons. @*Results@#A total of 773 participants were included in the study. An analysis of the clinically significant symptoms of the group showed that 29.5% had posttraumatic stress symptoms, 30.6% had depression, 15.8% had anxiety, 39.8% had somatic symptoms, and 4.5% were seen to be at risk of suicide. The average scores for burnout were as follows: 3.55±1.75 for emotional exhaustion, 2.68±1.73 for depersonalization, and 3.89±1.40 for personal accomplishment. Mental health problems and burnout were found to be high in women, those in the 20–39-year age bracket, those with less than 5 years of work experience, and public health center workers. @*Conclusion@#The medical staff responding to COVID-19 were observed to experience high levels of mental health and burnout problems. Work-related characteristics, such as younger age, lower work experience, and employment at a public health center, may have a negative impact on mental health and cause burnout. Therefore, individualized and systemic support for mental health and to prevent the burnout of medical staff responding to cases of COVID-19 is needed.

Mediating Role of Anxiety and Depression in the Relationship between Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms and Illness Intrusiveness

BACKGROUND: Posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in patients with psychological trauma lead to poor health-related quality of life. Understanding of the relationships among PTSS, anxiety, depression, and illness intrusiveness will guide the development of efficient approaches to enhance subjective well-being in patients with psychological trauma. This study investigated whether anxiety and depression mediate the relationship between PTSS and illness intrusiveness in the hope of providing more comprehensive and effective trauma treatment. METHODS: Psychiatric outpatients who visited the trauma clinic of a university hospital (n = 260) participated in this study. Assessments were conducted for PTSS, anxiety, depression, and illness intrusiveness. Structural equation modeling and path analysis were performed to analyze the mediating effects of anxiety and depression on the relationship between PTSS and illness intrusiveness. RESULTS: PTSS had both direct and indirect exacerbating effects on illness intrusiveness. Anxiety exhibited the largest direct exacerbating effect on illness intrusiveness. The indirect effects of PTSS on illness intrusiveness through anxiety alone and through a depression-to-anxiety pathway were significant, but the indirect effect through depression alone was not. CONCLUSION: The findings demonstrate that anxiety, both independently and as part of an interrelated pathway with depression, partially mediates the relationship between PTSS and illness intrusiveness. Appropriate interventions and a comprehensive approach to alleviate anxiety and depression could mitigate the negative effects of PTSS on illness intrusiveness in patients with psychological trauma.

Characteristics and Psychiatric Symptoms of Internet Gaming Disorder among Adults Using Self-Reported DSM-5 Criteria

OBJECTIVE: The Section III of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) proposed nine diagnostic criteria and five cut-point criteria for Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD). We aimed to examine the efficacy of such criteria. METHODS: Adults (n=3041, men: 1824, women: 1217) who engaged in internet gaming within last 6 months completed a self-report online survey using the suggested wordings of the criteria in DSM-5. Major characteristics, gaming behavior, and psychiatric symptoms of IGD were analyzed using ANOVA, chi-square, and correlation analyses. RESULTS: The sociodemographic variables were not statistically significant between the healthy controls and the risk group. Among the participants, 419 (13.8%) were identified and labeled as the IGD risk group. The IGD risk group scored significantly higher on all motivation subscales (p<0.001). The IGD risk group showed significantly higher scores than healthy controls in all nine psychiatric symptom dimensions, i.e., somatization, obsession-compulsion, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, hostility, phobic anxiety, paranoid ideation, and psychoticism (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The IGD risk group showed differential psychopathological manifestations according to DSM-5 IGD diagnostic criteria. Further studies are needed to evaluate the reliability and validity of the specific criteria, especially for developing screening instruments.

Depression as a Mediator of the Relationship Between Resilience and Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms and Dissociation in Firefighters / 정신신체의학

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the effects of resilience on posttraumatic stress symptoms and dissociation and whether depression mediates the relationships between resilience and posttraumatic stress symptoms and dissociation. METHODS: A total of 115 firefighters participated in the study. Data were collected via the Life Events Checklist, Impact of Event Scale-Revised, Dissociative Experience Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, and Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. Structural equation modeling and path analysis were applied to estimate the relationships between resilience, depression, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and dissociation. RESULTS: Greater resilience was associated with lower posttraumatic stress symptoms and dissociation, and the relationship between them was fully mediated by depression. CONCLUSIONS: Specific aspects of depression may help explain the relationships between resilience and posttraumatic stress symptoms and dissociation. Tailored prevention programs and treatments based on resilience and depression may prevent posttraumatic stress symptoms and dissociation in firefighters and improve treatments outcomes among firefighters with posttraumatic stress symptoms and/or dissociation.

Productivity Time Lost by Sleep Disturbance among Workers in Korea / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVES: The daily activities and performance of the working population can be threatened by sleep disturbances, including insomnia. This study evaluated the sleep patterns, sleep problems, daytime sleepiness, and lost productivity time (LPT) resulting from sleep quality and sleep duration issues among workers. METHODS: The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and the Health and Work Performance Questionnaire (HPQ) were completed by 653 workers in an urban area. Statistical analyses were performed using independent t-tests. RESULTS: The average sleep duration among the subjects was 6 h 37 min. While 19.6% of the subjects complained of poor sleep quality, 53.4% were affected during the day by insomnia. The estimated annual cost of LPT due to presenteeism (Won13,892,545 vs. Won11,840,140 ; p=0.033) and the total annual cost of LPT (Won14,040,968 vs. Won11,961,302 ; p=0.032) were higher in poor sleepers than in good sleepers. Furthermore, workers with a shorter sleep duration had a higher annual LPT due to presenteeism (747.83 vs. 648.57 h ; p=0.046) and a higher total annual LPT (754.48 vs. 657.99 h ; p=0.049) than workers with a longer sleep duration. CONCLUSION: Sleep deprivation among workers caused 1 h 51 min LPT per week. This suggests that sleep disturbance affects workers' performance in an organization, as well as in terms of individual health.

Productivity Time Lost by Sleep Disturbance among Workers in Korea / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVES: The daily activities and performance of the working population can be threatened by sleep disturbances, including insomnia. This study evaluated the sleep patterns, sleep problems, daytime sleepiness, and lost productivity time (LPT) resulting from sleep quality and sleep duration issues among workers. METHODS: The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and the Health and Work Performance Questionnaire (HPQ) were completed by 653 workers in an urban area. Statistical analyses were performed using independent t-tests. RESULTS: The average sleep duration among the subjects was 6 h 37 min. While 19.6% of the subjects complained of poor sleep quality, 53.4% were affected during the day by insomnia. The estimated annual cost of LPT due to presenteeism (Won13,892,545 vs. Won11,840,140 ; p=0.033) and the total annual cost of LPT (Won14,040,968 vs. Won11,961,302 ; p=0.032) were higher in poor sleepers than in good sleepers. Furthermore, workers with a shorter sleep duration had a higher annual LPT due to presenteeism (747.83 vs. 648.57 h ; p=0.046) and a higher total annual LPT (754.48 vs. 657.99 h ; p=0.049) than workers with a longer sleep duration. CONCLUSION: Sleep deprivation among workers caused 1 h 51 min LPT per week. This suggests that sleep disturbance affects workers' performance in an organization, as well as in terms of individual health.