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.