Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms, Physical Illness, and Social Adjustment Among Disaster Victims.

Objective: Posttraumatic stress disorder is one of the most studied outcomes after a disaster. Posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) are maladaptive and disabling and can severely impair affected individuals' psychosocial functioning and quality of life. Consequently, the objective of this research is to investigate the prevalence of PTSS and physical illness among disaster victims.

Stress Experience of COVID-19 Patients as Reported by Psychological Supporters in South Korea: A Qualitative Study.

Background: COVID-19 patients experience various stressors during the quarantine period and after release from quarantine. However, stressors experienced during each period remain unclear.

Methods: A total of 15 mental health experts from the integrated psychological support group for COVID-19participated in this study.

Psychological Responses Among Korean Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Survivors and Bereaved Families.

Objective: In 2015, the outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in South Korea affected 186 patients and led to 38 bereaved families. This study aimed at investigating the nature and related factors of the psychological responses of MERS victims during the acute phase of disaster.

Methods: The MERS Psychological Support Team under the Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare provided counseling services to MERS survivors and bereaved families for 4 weeks, based on crisis intervention.

Low trait anxiety, high resilience, and their interaction as possible predictors for treatment response in patients with depression.

Background: Although many demographic and clinical characteristics have been suggested to predict treatment outcome of depression, they provide only a weak prediction for clinical response. Based on the predictive values of trauma and biological markers involved in stress response, we investigated the roles of baseline trait anxiety and resilience, which were assumed as vulnerability and resilience factors, respectively, in predicting treatment response in naturalistically treated outpatients with depressive disorders.

Methods: A total of 178 outpatients with depressive disorders were consecutively recruited and completed measures of trauma experiences, psychological symptoms, and resilience at baseline.