Aim: The aim of the study was to investigate the factors that influence the stress reaction after the pandemic and the earthquake in people with mental health disorders. Subjects and methods: This study was conducted on 105 participants who were treated as outpatient patients at the Department for Psychiatry of Clinical Hospital Dubrava, Croatia. Data was collected using sociodemographic factors questionnaire, questionnaire regarding information about damage to their homes due to the earthquake, vaccination status, and recovery from COVID-19, the Croatian version of The Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale, The Impact of Events Scale and The Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale - Short Version. Results: The main results of the study are that significant positive predictors of the intensity of stress reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic are more pronounced intolerance of uncertainty, higher levels of anxiety, and older age, while a significant positive predictor of the intensity of stress reactions to the earthquake is more pronounced intolerance of uncertainty. Conclusion: Psychiatric patients are at increased risk for stress-induced reactions. Intolerance of uncertainty proved to be a significant predictor of the intensity of the stress reaction for COVID-19 pandemic and earthquake. Understanding which groups of the population are most sensitive to the possibility of developing psychological symptoms and disorders is important for providing adequate professional support to vulnerable groups after such events.
Marinić et al. (Wed,) studied this question.