Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link
Volume 11, Number 3—March 2005
Research

SARS-related Perceptions in Hong Kong

Joseph T.F. Lau*Comments to Author , Xilin Yang*, Ellie Pang*, H.Y. Tsui*, Eric Wong*, and Yun Kwok Wing*
Author affiliations: *The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China

Main Article

Table 4

Psychological and related effects of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) (survey 2 data)*

Men, % Women, % Total, % p value†
General mental health effect of SARS
SARS perceived to be severe or very severe 91.4 93.7 92.5 0.216
Felt horrified because of SARS (agree or strongly agree) 65.4 80.3 72.9 <0.001
Felt apprehensive because of SARS (agree or strongly agree) 55.5 69.1 37.7 <0.001
Felt helpless about SARS (agree or strongly agree) 65.0 63.7 64.4 0.703
Worried or worried very much about oneself or family members contracting SARS 41.3 57.2 49.3 <0.001
IES cutoff (posttraumatic stress symptoms) 13.3 18.0 15.7 0.060
Worsened self-assessed mental health effect of SARS (very much or somehow) 42.6 54.1 48.4 0.001
Sleeping/psychosomatic problems
Experienced trouble falling or staying asleep because of SARS (sometimes or often) 9.3 13.6 11.5 0.054
Sleep was restless in the last month (sometimes or often) 15.3 21.9 18.6 0.015
Experienced sweating, trouble breathing, nausea, or heart pounding because of SARS 5.2 8.5 6.9 0.059
Substance use
Increased frequency of smoking‡ 13.2 11.5 12.9 0.820
Increased frequency of drinking alcohol§ 4.7 14.8  6.8 0.062
Perceived increased stress because of SARS
Increased or much increased work stress 35.4 38.2 36.8 0.403
Increased or much increased family stress 38.6 37.0 37.8 0.639
Increased or much increased financial stress 25.1 28.0 26.5 0.344
Other problems
Family members in need of psychology or psychiatry services 4.7 3.7 4.2 0.539
Difficult or very difficult to concentrate at work¶ 18.8 21.8 20.1 0.409
Worsened or much worsened sexual life 6.2 5.9 6.1 0.855
Worsened or much worsened social life 31.0 43.4 37.2 <0.001
Family member with worsened or much worsened emotional states 26.0 26.9 26.5 0.783

*IES, Impact of event scale.
†Chi-square test.
‡Among those who were smokers.
§Among those who drank alcohol.
¶Among those who were currently working full time or part time.

Main Article

Page created: April 25, 2012
Page updated: April 25, 2012
Page reviewed: April 25, 2012
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
file_external