Effectiveness of tele-counselling services among the suspected COVID-19 quarantined individuals with a history of international travel
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29120/ijpsw.2021.v12.i1.233Abstract
Background: A pandemic has a grave impact on the moral and social fabric of society. It affects the quarantined individual more by heightening their vulnerability. Psychosocial intervention is imminent to prevent the psychological breakdown of such individuals. Objectives: To investigate the effectiveness of tele-counselling services for psychological care among suspected COVID-19 quarantined individuals with a history of international travel. Method: An experimental research study with pre and post without control among a cohort of 42 consenting adults who had an international travel history suspected to have COVID-19 were home quarantined for 28 days by the district administration were recipients of tele-counselling services. Institutional ethics committee approval was obtained. They were assessed on Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ) at three-point of times, once at the entry, in the middle and once at the exit. Results: The present study found very high psychological distress during the initial assessment on SRQ, significant improvement in scores over the time points (pre and mid intervention (t = 7.68, p < 0.001), mid and post-intervention (t = 9.68, p < 0.001) and between pre and post-intervention (t = 14.71, p < 0.001), suggesting the effectiveness of tele-counselling were observed. Conclusion: Tele-counselling for mental health was found to be effective and should be made mandatory and implemented for all quarantined individuals.
Keywords: Quarantine, pandemic, COVID19, mental health, tele-counselling
References
Holshue ML, DeBolt C, Lindquist S, Lofy KH, Wiesman J, Bruce H, et al. First Case of 2019 Novel Coronavirus in the United States. N Engl J Med. 2020;382(10):929-36.
WHO. Covid19 Pandemic 2020 Available from: https://www.who.int/dg/speeches/ detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19---11-march-2020.
Hawryluck L, Gold WL, Robinson S, Pogorski S, Galea S, Styra R. SARS control and psychological effects of quarantine, Toronto, Canada. Emerging infectious diseases. 2004;10(7):1206-12.
Brooks SK, Webster RK, Smith LE, Woodland L, Wessely S, Greenberg N, et al. The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: a rapid review of the evidence. Lancet. 2020;395(10227):912-20.
WHO. Frequently asked questions on Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS‐CoV) 2019 Available from: https://www.who.int/csr/disease/ coronavirus_infections/faq/en/s.
Sjödin H, Wilder-Smith A, Osman S, Farooq Z, Rocklöv J. Only strict quarantine measures can curb the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Italy, 2020. Euro surveillance : bulletin Europeen sur les maladies transmissibles = European communicable disease bulletin. 2020;25(13):2000280.
Oh M-D, Park WB, Park S-W, Choe PG, Bang JH, Song K-H, et al. Middle East respiratory syndrome: what we learned from the 2015 outbreak in the Republic of Korea. Korean J Intern Med. 2018;33(2):233-46.
Mari JJ, Williams P. A validity study of a psychiatric screening questionnaire (SRQ-20) in primary care in the city of Sao Paulo. Br J Psychiatry. 1986;148:23-6.
Inc S. SPSS for Windows. 16 ed. Chicago: SPSS Inc; 2007.
Reynolds DL, Garay JR, Deamond SL, Moran MK, Gold W, Styra R. Understanding, compliance and psychological impact of the SARS quarantine experience. Epidemiol Infect. 2008;136(7):997-1007.
Blendon RJ, Benson JM, DesRoches CM, Raleigh E, Taylor-Clark K. The public's response to severe acute respiratory syndrome in Toronto and the United States. Clin Infect Dis. 2004;38(7):925-31.
Zhu S, Wu Y, Zhu CY, Hong WC, Yu ZX, Chen ZK, et al. The immediate mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic among people with or without quarantine managements. Brain Behav Immun. 2020.
Lima CKT, Carvalho PMM, Lima I, Nunes J, Saraiva JS, de Souza RI, et al. The emotional impact of Coronavirus 2019-nCoV (new Coronavirus disease). Psychiatry Res. 2020;287:112915.
Carvalho PMM, Moreira MM, de Oliveira MNA, Landim JMM, Neto MLR. The psychiatric impact of the novel coronavirus outbreak. Psychiatry Res. 2020;286:112902.
Lee S, Chan LY, Chau AM, Kwok KP, Kleinman A. The experience of SARS-related stigma at Amoy Gardens. Soc Sci Med. 2005;61(9):2038-46.
Liu X, Kakade M, Fuller CJ, Fan B, Fang Y, Kong J, et al. Depression after exposure to stressful events: lessons learned from the severe acute respiratory syndrome epidemic. Compr Psychiatry. 2012;53(1):15-23.
Lee AM, Wong JG, McAlonan GM, Cheung V, Cheung C, Sham PC, et al. Stress and psychological distress among SARS survivors 1 year after the outbreak. Can J Psychiatry. 2007;52(4):233-40.
Sprang G, Silman M. Posttraumatic stress disorder in parents and youth after health-related disasters. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2013;7(1):105-10.
Marjanovic Z, Greenglass ER, Coffey S. The relevance of psychosocial variables and working conditions in predicting nurses' coping strategies during the SARS crisis: an online questionnaire survey. Int J Nurs Stud. 2007;44(6):991-8.
Cava MA, Fay KE, Beanlands HJ, McCay EA, Wignall R. The experience of quarantine for individuals affected by SARS in Toronto. Public Health Nurs. 2005;22(5):398-406.
Braunack-Mayer A, Tooher R, Collins JE, Street JM, Marshall H. Understanding the school community's response to school closures during the H1N1 2009 influenza pandemic. BMC Public Health. 2013;13:344.
Pellecchia U, Crestani R, Decroo T, Van den Bergh R, Al-Kourdi Y. Social Consequences of Ebola Containment Measures in Liberia. PLoS One. 2015;10(12):e0143036.
Robertson E, Hershenfield K, Grace SL, Stewart DE. The psychosocial effects of being quarantined following exposure to SARS: a qualitative study of Toronto health care workers. Can J Psychiatry. 2004;49(6):403-7.
Yuan S, Liao Z, Huang H, Jiang B, Zhang X, Wang Y, et al. Comparison of the Indicators of Psychological Stress in the Population of Hubei Province and Non-Endemic Provinces in China During Two Weeks During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Outbreak in February 2020. Med Sci Monit. 2020;26:e923767.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2021 Srinivasan Jeyaram, Thippeswamy Vaddar, Chillal Guru Prasad, Thennarasu Kandavel, Kakunje Anil
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
