Loading…

The Moral Injury, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and Suicidal Behaviors in Health Professionals 1 Year After the COVID-19 Pandemic Peak in China

Objective: Moral COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to explore the relationship between moral injury (MI), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and suicidal behaviors approximately 1 year after the pandemic peaked in mainland China. Methods: An online survey was conducted from March 27 to April 26,...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychological trauma 2023-09, Vol.15 (S2), p.S352-S356
Main Authors: Ma, Wanrui, Koenig, Harold G., Wen, Jing, Liu, Jun, Shi, Xiuquan, Wang, Zhizhong
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Objective: Moral COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to explore the relationship between moral injury (MI), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and suicidal behaviors approximately 1 year after the pandemic peaked in mainland China. Methods: An online survey was conducted from March 27 to April 26, 2021, across mainland China. A total of 3,465 health professionals completed the Chinese version of the MI Symptoms Scale-Health Professional, Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised, and PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). Results: The prevalence of PTSD and suicidal behavior among health professionals were 26.9% and 24.2%, respectively. MI is associated with a higher risk of PTSD (OR =3.52, 95% CI [3.01, 4.13]), and a higher risk of suicidal behaviors (OR= 2.13, 95% CI [1.81, 2.50]) under the controlling of sociodemographic variables. And the interaction of PTSD and MI was associated with a significantly increased risk of suicidal behaviors (ORinteraction = 1.61, 95% CI [1.29, 2.02]). Conclusions: The MI symptoms are associated with a higher risk of PTSD, and suicidal behaviors among health professionals 1 year after the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in China. The findings underscore the importance of identifying and treating MI as one way to manage PTSD and suicidal behaviors among health professionals during the postpandemic period. Clinical Impact Statement The adverse mental health outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic challenged the rebuilding of the health system in the postpandemic era. The MI was found to be a predictor of several adverse mental health outcomes 1 year after the pandemic contained in mainland China. The findings provide evidence to support efforts to identify and develop MI-targeted interventions that have been shown to be quite successful in other occupations in attempts to reduce the risk of PTSD and suicidal behaviors in health professionals.
ISSN:1942-9681
1942-969X
1942-969X
DOI:10.1037/tra0001483