Trauma psihică a expunerii la infecţia cu SARS-CoV-2

The concern of long-term psychological and social consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic arises, as we have been experiencing more than a year of global exposure to the virus, virus-related health issues and varying containment measures. Assumptions regarding the negative outcomes and groups at higher risk for such outcomes require relevant scientific evidence, global scale studies and the test of time. Nevertheless, the body of data thus far proves that COVID-19 is a global issue and it requires coordinated, global-scale management. Moreover, trauma-informed practice emerges as a requirement of effective health policies and patient management during and after the pandemic. The current paper focuses on the specific issue of COVID-19 exposure as traumatic experience. We aim to outline definitions of trauma/traumatic events, emphasize that exposure to trauma is not an illness per se, but it increases the risk of health issues, ascertain why the COVID-19 exposure can be viewed as a traumatic event with potential detrimental consequences for the biopsychosocial health of persons and communities. We also aim to describe specific groups with increased vulnerability for detrimental mental health outcomes in the context of COVID-19 exposure, along with the nature of the vulnerability and proposed preventive measures for better mental health outcomes in higher-risk groups.