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Highlights l Our study confirmed the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) has good reliability and validity in frontline health workers during the outbreak of Corona Virus Disease 2019. l The Chinese version of PCL-5 can be used as a reliable screening tool to conduct psychological screening for Chinese healthcare workers during the outbreak of 2019-nCoV. l Almost 60% of frontline healthcare workers met the criteria of provisional PTSD diagnosis in the outbreak of 2019-nCoV., Background Previous studies about the reliability and validity of the updated PCL version for the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (PCL-5) have only been evaluated in certain samples of the population, which lacks in the sample of Healthcare Workers. Our study focused on the factor structure, reliability and validity of the PCL-5 among Chinese Healthcare Workers during the Outbreak of Corona Virus Disease 2019. Methods We conducted an online survey of frontline healthcare workers using the PCL-5 for PTSD. Total of 212 frontline healthcare providers were included in this study. Results The findings showed that PCL-5 is a reliable instrument in our sample. The total and subscale scores showed good internal consistency. The convergent and discriminant validity of the PCL-5 were also well demonstrated. Our result showed a better fit with the seven-factor hybrid model compared with other models and supported that the PCL-5 Chinese version can be used as a reliable screening tool to conduct psychological screening for Chinese healthcare workers. Limitation We could not examine other aspects of reliability and validity like test-retest reliability or criterion validity. We didn't use the gold-standard structured interview for PTSD in our study. Besides, most of our samples were young people who had access to the internet. Not all professional levels and seniorities were presented because our sample had a lower mean income and educational level. Conclusion Our study shows that the Chinese PCL-5 has good validity and reliability in frontline healthcare workers during the outbreak.

Signal transduction has been reported to be involved in antidepressant treatment outcomes; however, its mechanisms remain unclear. The aims of this study were to explore the associations between antidepressant remission and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), haplotypes, and gene-gene interactions in the Ras-Raf-MAPK intracellular signaling pathway. A total of 302 inpatients with major depressive disorder (DSM-IV Axis I) were assessed using the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale before and after 8 weeks of antidepressant treatment to determine the remission rate in the samples. Twenty-four SNPs at five kinase genes (Ras-Raf-MEK-ERK-RSK), which are a part of the Ras-Raf-MAPK signaling pathway, were identified to investigate a genetic association with antidepressant drug outcome. Correlations between 24 SNPs at the five kinase genes in the Ras-Raf-MAPK signaling pathway and antidepressant drug outcome were not found. The percentage of the CCAGA haplotype that RSK(2/3/4)-RSKL(1/2) gene loci SNPs constructed was markedly lower in the remitter group when compared with the nonremitter group in female depressed patients (P=0.04), whereas the proportion of AAAGGG haplotype that RSK(2/3/4)-RSKL(1/2) gene loci SNPs constructed in the remitter group was significantly greater than that in the nonremitter group in male patients (P=0.02). In addition, MEK1 (rs28730804) and RSK3 (rs2229712) in the Ras-Raf-MAPK signaling pathway showed a gene-gene interaction that affected antidepressant drug outcome in female depressed patients (P=0.041). Although this study did not find that SNPs at the five kinase genes in the Ras-Raf-MAPK signaling pathway are important markers for antidepressant outcome, certain haplotypes that SNPs at the RSK(2/3/4)-RSKL(1/2) gene constructed may be important markers for antidepressant drug efficacy. We observed a gene-gene interaction in this signaling pathway that influenced antidepressant efficacy in female depressed patients. Therefore, it is likely that in female depressed patients, different haplotypes and gene-gene interaction in the Ras-Raf-MAPK signaling pathway are involved in mediating the pharmacological action of an antidepressant, and eventually influence antidepressant efficacy.

In addition, approximately 30 million children and young adolescents are suffering from mood and/or behavioral disorders. Drug and alcohol problems and other psychosocial disorders affecting women, elders and survivors of disasters are also important problems adding to the overall national mental health burden. Research from both China and abroad indicate that mental and behavioral problems will continue to increase in the future. The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the financial burden from mental disorders in China will constitute 1/4 of total burden from various diseases in 2020.

Sexual assault is one of the most traumatic stressors one may experience in life. Although studies have investigated the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and associated psychosocial factors on victims of sexual assault internationally, such studies in Mainland China are limited.Two hundred thirt-three Chinese females (aged 17-38) victims of sexual assault were surveyed in three Guangdong province cities (Guangzhou city, Shenzhen city, and Huizhou city). The Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale, Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, PTSD Checklist Civilian Version, Social Support Rating Scale, and Trait Coping Style Questionnaire were used.The prevalence of PTSD in Chinese female victims of sexual assault was 15.25% (34/223). Six psychosocial factors were found to be significant for PTSD symptomatology, including objective support (β = -1.01, P = 0.001), subjective support (β = -0.59, P 0.001), support utilization (β = -1.03, P = 0.005), negative coping style (β = 0.58, P 0.001), positive coping style (β = -0.44, P 0.001), and neuroticism (β = 0.48, P 0.001).These findings suggest that negative coping bias and neuroticism were predisposing risk factors that increase PTSD symptoms, while objective support, subjective support, support utilization, and positive coping style were protective factors for PTSD following sexual assault, and provide prima facie evidence for posttrauma intervention.

On July 29, 2007, a severe coalmine-flooded disaster occurred in central China and 69 miners were trapped in an about 1400 m underground coal pit. Fortunately, all of them were rescued after 75 h of the ordeal. At 3 and 6 months after the disaster, psychopathological profiles, plasma levels of cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) were evaluated in 48 survivors for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and comorbid symptoms. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study was performed at 6 months. The prevalence of PTSD was 35.4% (17/48) at 3 months and 31.3% (15/48) at 6 months post-disaster, with high rates of comorbid symptoms. Risk factors for PTSD included previous traumatic experience, less than 5 years of being a miner, in an extremely exhausted or sick during the disaster, poor interpersonal relationship and poor sleep quality experienced before the disaster. Mean plasma cortisol levels at 6 months, but not at 3 months, were significantly higher in PTSD-positive subjects than the negative, and positively correlated with the severity of several comorbid symptoms. Either whole or regional brain volumes of PTSD-positive subjects were not significantly different from PTSD-negative subjects, but PTSD subjects had significantly reduced fractional anisotropy values in the right posterior cingulum and bilateral hippocampal body compared to subjects without PTSD. These results suggest that traumatic exposure in severe coalmining disasters results in considerable psychological consequences, with highly prevalent PTSD and comorbid symptoms, which are associated with previous traumatic experience, shorter-length underground services, and poor interpersonal relationships and sleep quality experienced before the disaster. Baseline cortisol level may be a useful biological predictor for different phases of the development of PTSD. The aberrant connectivity of the hippocampus and the cingulum may represent an early pathological response to trauma exposure.

To investigate the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among survivors from a coal mining accident after 2 and 10 months and factors related to PTSD.To estimate the prevalence of PTSD, 104 miners were surveyed through the PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C). Forty survivors including 24 severe PTSD patients and 24 non-PTSD subjects were evaluated thoroughly.The current prevalence rate among survivors from the coal mining accident at 2 months was 50%. There were significant differences in PTSD symptoms, anxiety and depression, personality, and memory performance between the PTSD patients and non-PTSD controls. State anxiety, time to renew the work, depression, neuroticism, and the place they were staying, and length of service were predictors of PTSD. After 10 months of the accident, 30.6% survivors still met the criterion of PTSD. Compared with 2 months after the accident, PTSD symptoms, anxiety, and memory performance improved clearly, while the depressive symptoms had no significant difference. The state anxiety, time to renew the work, positive coping, emotional balance, and length of service were the factors of PTSD symptom healing.The current prevalence of PTSD among survivors from coal mining accident is high. The mining accident has great influence on victims, and psychological or medication interventions are necessary. There are lots of risk factors for the prevalence of PTSD, such as state anxiety, depression, neuroticism, and shorter duration of service. Positive coping may be a beneficial factor for PTSD recovery.