Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

March 3, 2020

Vicarious traumatization in the general public, members, and non-members of medical teams aiding in COVID-19 control

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  • Li et al gathered information on vicarious traumatization (VT) of frontline and non-frontline nurses and compared it to VT of the general public. VT symptoms include appetite changes, fatigue, sleep disturbance, difficulty with focus, irritability, numbness, fear, and despair.  All three groups have experienced VT under the spread of COVID-19, with the general public reporting VT most frequently compared to both nurse groups. Frontline nurses reported lower VT than other nurses. 
  • The authors hypothesize that differences in VT were related to length of clinical experience, more knowledge about the disease, and access to information. The authors recommend early intervention for VT and psychological stress and transparent communication as primary methods of mitigating the stress.

Li et al. (Mar 2, 2020). Vicarious traumatization in the general public, members, and non-members of medical teams aiding in COVID-19 control. Pre-print downloaded Mar 3 from https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.02.29.20029322