Povezanost potresa i pandemije COVID-19 s razinom stresa i depresivnosti kod bolesnika sa psihijatrijskim poremećajima

master's thesis

• Title (english): The association of earthquake and COVID-19 pandemic with stress and depression in patients suffering from psychiatric disorders
• Author: Zrinka Vuksan-Ćusa
• Mentor: Marina Šagud (mentor)
• Committee member: Alma Mihaljević-Peleš (predsjednik povjerenstva)
• Committee member: Dražen Begić (član povjerenstva)
• Committee member: Marina Šagud (član povjerenstva)
• Granter: University of Zagreb; School of Medicine; (Department of Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine); Zagreb
• Defense date and country: 2023-07-13, Croatia
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: BIOMEDICINE AND HEALTHCARE; Clinical Medical Sciences; Psychiatry

Abstract

Svjetska kriza uzrokovana COVID-19 bolešću, kao i potres u našoj zemlji, ugrozili su fizičko i mentalno zdravlje opće populacije. Međutim, učinak oba stresora na psihijatrijske pacijente nije do sada istražen. Cilj ovog presječnog istraživanja bio je usporediti težinu depresivnih simptoma i percepcije stresa tijekom pandemije i potresa u populaciji psihijatrijskih pacijenata u odnosu na osobe bez psihijatrijskih poremećaja te usporediti ove parametre između različitih dijagnostičkih skupina. U istraživanju je sudjelovalo 830 ispitanika podijeljenih u 3 skupine: kliničku skupinu ispitanika s poremećajima iz spektra shizofrenije (SS), s poremećajima iz spektra anksioznih i/ili depresivnih poremećaja (ADP) te kontrolnu skupinu.

Obje skupine psihijatrijskih bolesnika imale su značajno višu razinu depresivnosti i općenitog stresa u odnosu na zdrave kontrole, dok su skupine bolesnika imale podjednaku težinu depresivnih simptoma, a osobe s ADP višu razinu stresa nego osobe sa SS. Sve tri skupine su iskazale veću razina uznemirenosti radi potresa, nego radi pandemije. Ovi rezultati naglašavaju činjenicu da pored potrebe ranog otkrivanja novonastalih psihijatrijskih poremećaja kao posljedice pandemije, a u nekim područjima i potresa, svakako valja obratiti pozornost na populaciju s odranije poznatim psihijatrijskim poremećajima (osobito onima s anksioznodepresivnim simptomima) koji su očito značajno pogođeni novonastalim okolnostima.

Abstract (english)

Global health crisis during COVID-19 pandemic, as well as earthquake in our country, seriously influenced mental and somatic health of general population. However, the simultaneous impact of those two stressors on psychiatric patients is yet unknown. The aim of our study was to compare the severity of depressive symptoms and perception of general stress, associated with two natural disasters, between psychiatric population and healthy controls, and across different iagnostic groups. This cross-sectional study included 830 participants divided into three groups: patients with anxiety/depressive disorders (ADD), schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SS) and healthy controls.

Both psychiatric patient groups demonstrated higher levels of general stress and depression than controls. While the intensity of depressive symptoms was similar in both psychiatric patient groups, the ADD group has shown higher levels of general stress than SS group. In all three groups, earthquake represented significantly higher stressor than the COVID-19 pandemic. Those findings suggest that besides the deleterious psychological effects of pandemic and earthquake on general population, which increased efforts to detect individuals with new-onset psychiatric disorders, we have to pay particular attention to patients with pre-existing psychiatric disorders. Of note, those with anxiety/depressive disorders are disproportionately affected by the new circumstances accompanying natural disasters.

• Keywords: stres; depresija; potres; pandemija
• Keywords (english): stress; depression; earthquake; pandemic
• Language: croatian
• URN:NBN: urn:nbn:hr:105:014537
• Study programme: Title: Medicine; Study programme type: university; Study level: integrated undergraduate and graduate; Academic / professional title: doktor/doktorica medicine (doktor/doktorica medicine)
• Type of resource: Text
• File origin: Born digital
• Access conditions: Open access
• Created on: 2023-11-02 12:11:24