Trauma exposure and the PTSD symptoms of college teachers during the peak of the COVID‐19 outbreak

Fan, Changyu; Fu, Ping; Li, Xueyan; Li, Min; Zhu, Miao

This study aimed to explore influencing factors for the psychological impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) on Wuhan college teachers, posttraumatic stress symptoms in particular, so as to inform evidence‐based strategy development to ameliorate such adverse impacts. An online survey was conducted from 26 to 29 April 2020, and 1650 teachers (47.54% male; M = 40.28 years, SD = 8.3 years) enrolled in Wuhan universities and colleges participated. The results showed that the overall incidence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among college teachers was as high as 24.55%, but the average level of PTSD score was low (M = 1.06, SD = 0.72). Logistic regression analysis showed that for those with confirmed COVID‐19, the ratio was much higher, up to 2.814 (95% confidence interval [CI]: [1.542, 5.136], p < 0.001); that is, compared with those without symptoms, the ratio of PTSD increased by 181%. For those who had family members or relatives who died of COVID‐19, the ratio was 5.592 (95% CI: [2.271, 13.766], p < 0.001), 459% higher than those who had no one who died. But the living places during the pandemic had no significant effect on PTSD. The findings suggest that mental health services reducing PTSD should be provided. Teachers who confirmed COVID‐19 or lost loved ones to COVID‐19 should be given particular care.