The following is a summary of “Post-traumatic stress disorder during the Covid-19 pandemic: a national, population-representative, longitudinal study of U.S. adults,” published in the April 2024 issue of Psychiatry by Abdalla et al.
The literature discusses how mass traumatic events affect populations with PTSD, but the pandemic’s impact on PTSD in the U.S. and its association with assets and stressors remains unclear.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to understand how PTSD changed during the pandemic in the U.S. population and its connection to assets and COVID-19 stressors over time.
They used the COVID-19 and Life Stressors Impact on Mental-Health and Well-Being (CLIMB) study to survey U.S. adults in Spring 2020 (n=1,270), 2021 (n=1,182), and 2022 (n=1,091), assessing PTSD prevalence using the PC-PTSD-4. Generalized estimated equations and logistic regression analyzed associations of demographics, assets, and stressors with probable PTSD.
The results showed that PTSD prevalence decreased from 22.2% in 2020 to 16.8% in 2022 (P=0.02). Those with household incomes below $20,000 had higher odds of probable PTSD (OR=2.17, 95%CI; 1.35 – 3.50) relative to $75,000 or more and higher stressor scores (OR=2.33, 95%CI: 1.72 – 3.15). High stressor scores were consistently linked to higher odds of PTSD in 2020 (OR=2.69, 95% CI: 1.56-4.66), 2021 (OR=4.58, 95% CI: 2.52-8.30), and 2022 (OR=3.89, 95% CI; 2.05-7.38).
Investigators concluded that the pandemic had a sustained impact on mental health, particularly affecting those with fewer financial resources and greater exposure to pandemic-related stressors. In light of these disparities, targeted interventions are necessary to address the issue.