Time Course of Psychological Impact for Male: Discovered in COVID-19 Cases

The outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is leading to widespread emotional distress such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Our objective was to investigate the gender differences in PTSD symptoms (PTSS) among COVID-19 symptomatic patients over time caused by delayed medical visit. We investigated 258 confirmed cases of COVID-19 from two designated hospitals in Wuhan from 26 February to 16 March. PTSS was measured by PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). Demographics and time interval from symptom onset to the first medical visit were also collected. The results show that 48 of 258 participants (18.6 %) met the criteria of PTSD symptoms. Males had significantly higher PCL-5 scores when time interval was 7 days or more compared with less than 7 days (22.18 vs. 15.11, t=-2.280, P<0.05), whereas no such significant time effect was found in females, regardless of the severity of the disease. The present study emphasizes the significant effect of time course on PTSS only in male. It is suggested that policy makers and health services should pay more attention to PTSD in male, and call on male to seek medical treatment as soon as developing symptoms of coronavirus disease if local medical conditions permitted.