Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

March 11, 2020

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Acute Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms during the COVID-19 Outbreak in Wuhan, China

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  • Sun et al found that prevalence of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) among the public in mainland China 1 month after the start of the COVID-19 outbreak was 4.6%. Factors associated with PTSS included female sex, having some exposure history related to Wuhan, being part of a high-risk populations (e.g., people residing in high incidence regions), having had close contact with COVID-19 patients, and poor sleep quality.
  • This study offers insight on how people can cope with future epidemics, while emphasizing the need for awareness around potential risk factors for mental health effects. 

Sun et al. (Mar 6, 2020). Prevalence and Risk Factors of Acute Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms during the COVID-19 Outbreak in Wuhan, China. Pre-print downloaded Mar 10 from https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.03.06.20032425