The association between perceive social support and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms among medical staff in Hubei, China: a chain mediating effect of resilience and positive coping

Evidence suggests that PTSD symptoms following public health emergencies are influenced by many factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between perceived social support and Post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and to explore the chain-mediated role of resilience and positive coping style, among medical staff in Hubei Province, China, during a public health emergency. Convenience sampling was used to select medical staff from two general hospitals in Hubei Province in July 2022 for this study. A total of 2,751 medical staff were included in the study. Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, 10- itemConnor- Davidson resilience scale, Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire and The Post-traumatic stress disorder Checklist for DSM-5 were used to assess the levels of perceived social support, resilience, coping style and Post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms of medical staff two years after the public health emergency. Statistical descriptions were conducted using SPSS, and a structural equation model was established using AMOS to analyze the chain-mediated roles of resilience and positive coping style between perceived social support and Post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. Structural equation modeling results showed a standardized total effect of perceived social support on Post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms of -0.416 (95%CI [-0.456, -0.374], P