Table 1.
Participants’ characteristics and survey responses (n = 1278)
| Variable | n (%) |
|---|---|
| Demographic characteristics | |
| Sex | |
| Male | 643 (50.3) |
| Female | 635 (49.7) |
| Age group* | |
| 18–29 | 335 (26.5) |
| 30–39 | 277 (21.9) |
| 40–49 | 269 (21.2) |
| 50–59 | 171 (13.5) |
| ≥ 60 | 214 (16.9) |
| Education level* | |
| Junior high school or below | 370 (29.2) |
| Senior high school | 421 (33.2) |
| Junior college or above | 476 (37.6) |
| Residential area | |
| Taipei city/county | 360 (28.2) |
| Others | 918 (71.8) |
| Perceptions and attitudes towards SARS | |
| SARS as serious disease | |
| Yes | 1036 (81.1) |
| No | 193 (15.1) |
| Don’t know | 49 (3.8) |
| Survival rate of SARS patients | |
| ≥ 50% | 818 (64.0) |
| < 50%† | 460 (36.0) |
| Which disease receives more stigmatization |
|
| SARS | 109 (8.6) |
| HIV/AIDS | 893 (69.9) |
| About the same† | 276 (21.5) |
| Agreed that self measures of control can reduce SARS infection |
1146 (89.7) |
| Worried about SARS recurrence in the coming autumn/winter |
766 (59.9) |
| Confident of government’s capability in managing SARS recurrence |
895 (70.0) |
| Behaviors and SARS-related experiences | |
| Had received SARS-related education information |
980 (76.6) |
| Prepared for SARS recurrence | 782 (61.2) |
| Self/relatives/neighbors ever been quarantined |
133 (10.4) |
| Self/relatives/friends experienced SARS-related discrimination |
124 (9.7) |
| Psychological distress | |
| Change in perception of life after SARS crisis resolution |
|
| More optimistic | 436 (34.1) |
| More pessimistic | 117 (9.2) |
| About the same | 725 (56.7) |
| BSRS-5 score* | |
| < 6 | 1095 (88.3) |
| ≥ 6 | 145 (11.7) |
*
All missing cases were deleted;
†
include “Don’t know”. SARS = Severe acute respiratory syndrome.