4 ׀ DISCUSSION
This pandemic has been a real trauma for all humanity. Trauma is defined as extraordinary incidents that can happen to a person, have various effects on people, and threaten the physical well-being and even life.24 “So, is there a post-traumatic growth, and does that which does not kill us make us stronger?” The present study aims to determine whether the trauma caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has had any positive effects on people.
It was observed that of the participants, 17% reported smoking and 4.7% reported both smoking and using alcohol. COVID-19 is a disease that primarily affects the lungs, however, it is reported that the prevalence of smokers among hospitalized COVID-19 patients is lower than the prevalence of smokers in the general population in a region. Therefore, epidemiological data indicate the need to question smoking as a risk factor in terms of developing COVID-19 pneumonia.25,26
Of the participants, 16% reported having a chronic disease. Some studies reported no clear association between the presence of chronic disease and COVID-19.27,28 whereas some other studies did.29-31 On the other hand, although people of all ages and genders are susceptible to COVID-19, it has been reported that elderly people with underlying chronic diseases are more susceptible to serious illness from COVID-19.32
In this study, 81.1% of those who had contracted COVID-19 stated that their mental health deteriorated and 64.2% stated that their physical health was impaired. Furthermore, 59.6% stated that they were still concerned about their health. Bostan et al. stated that the physical health of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 was negatively affected.4 COVID-19 can cause permanent damage to patients: even two months after recovery, complaints such as burning sensation in the lungs and dry cough have been reported, and ground-glass opacity can be seen on computed tomography (CT) imaging of the lungs.33 It is known that pandemics/epidemics cause traumatic effects and increase the level of anxiety and stress among people.34,35 In a study by Kardaş and Tanhan to evaluate post-earthquake trauma levels of students, 47.5% reported a low level of post-traumatic stress, 35.5% a moderate level of post-traumatic stress, and 17% a high level of post-traumatic stress.36 In a study conducted with Australian participants, the participants stated that they were concerned about their mental health due to COVID-19. Also, the authors stated that this situation was determinative of positive or negative post-traumatic effects.6
In this study, 58.5% of the participants reported having treated COVID-19 at home. Moreover, the participants’ average length of hospital stay due to COVID-19 was 4.33 days. It has been reported that 80% of COVID-19 patients develop mild symptoms.37
The median value of overall PTGI scores was obtained to be high for unemployed participants, for those who stated that their mental health was affected negatively after the pandemic, and for those who reported they were concerned about their health. A study conducted in China concluded that having a high education level, being male, having a high level of financial income, and having religious beliefs were the factors that made a difference in post-traumatic growth.38This result is consistent with the findings in the literature stating that in order for post-traumatic growth to occur, the individual must go through difficult life experiences and be affected by them.39-42
The median value of CiSP scores was obtained to be high for primary school graduates, for unemployed participants, for those who reported that their mental health was affected due to the pandemic, and for those who reported they were concerned about their health. Similarly, in Karataş’s study, significant differences were found between the participants’ scores from the post-traumatic growth inventory and its sub-dimensions and their education levels.21 The mean and standard deviation values of CiIR scores were obtained to be high for those who perceived their income status as low and for those who stated that their mental and physical health was affected negatively after the pandemic. It has been stated in the literature that general functionality, perceived social support, the quality of life, optimism, hope, and perception of new opportunities are predisposing factors for post-traumatic growth.43,44 Karataş found that those who stated an increase in health-related concerns, suspicions about symptoms, and efforts for healthy nutrition had higher post-traumatic growth levels than those who did not.21 People who are tired of the challenging and crowded living conditions brought about by globalization and the fatigue caused by these perhaps desire life to slow down. In his “The Burnout Society” (2015), South Korean cultural theorist Byung-Chul Han argues that the dangers of today arise not from the negativity of the enemy but from the excess of positivities expressed as overperformance, overproduction, and overcommunication.
Those who reported an increase in their frequency of visiting health institutions, who reported increased health-related anxiety, who reported an increase in their habit of following the news, and those with increased trust in public institutions obtained higher scores from PTGI. Visiting health institutions may have led to increased interaction with health professionals about this disease. Also, increased health-related anxiety may have driven the participants to learn more about the pandemic. Besides, the participants stated that their trust in public institutions did not change after the pandemic, which may have helped them maintain their psychological well-being. Similarly, it has been stated in the literature that people’s trust in public institutions has increased after the COVID-19 pandemic.21 Other studies have also reported that perceived social support increases as the level of traumatic stress increases. This result is also consistent with the findings of many studies showing that perceived social support is associated with post-traumatic stress. It is emphasized that receiving social support positively affects the way an individual copes with trauma and even leads to post-traumatic growth.45,46
In addition, some studies have observed some positive changes in human behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been reported that after the pandemic, the sky is bluer, there are fewer traffic accidents, crime rates have fallen, and some other infectious disease rates have dropped.47
It has also been reported that public health services are given priority especially in this process due to the risk of transmission. Besides, it has been reported that children approached the measures of ”handwashing, mask-wearing, and social distancing” in a collaborative manner during the pandemic. Self-awareness levels of individuals have also been reported to increase in this process.48
In this context, in the course of COVID-19, people are now questioning their priorities and have realized even more deeply how important it is to protect their lives and loved ones. People are now more aware that nothing is more important than their health, and this increased awareness will be effective in maintaining healthy habits.