PTSD Persists in Communities After a Mass Violence Incident
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, Aug. 2, 2024 -- Presumptive posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) remains prevalent in adults long after a mass violence incident (MVI), according to a study published online July 26 in JAMA Network Open.
Angela D. Moreland, Ph.D., from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, and colleagues assessed whether adults in six communities that experienced MVI (2015 to 2019) had a higher prevalence of and factors associated with past-year and current PTSD. The analysis included survey results from 5,991 adults.
The researchers found that 21.0 percent of participants reported high exposure to the MVI, with either them or a close friend and/or family member on site during the shooting. Nearly one-quarter of participants (23.7 percent) met presumptive diagnostic criteria for past-year PTSD, while 8.9 percent met criteria for current PTSD. Being female (odds ratio, 2.32) and having a history of both physical or sexual assault and other potentially traumatic events (odds ratio, 9.68) were associated with the greatest risk for past-year PTSD.
"Focusing exclusively on direct exposure to MVIs is not sufficient. Incorporating these findings into screening should improve efforts to identify the individuals most in need of prevention or mental health service after MVIs," the authors write.
One author reported serving on the board of Sharecare.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted August 2024
Read this next
Pulmonary Embolism More Common in Children Than Previously Thought
THURSDAY, May 22, 2025 -- Pulmonary embolism (PE) is more common in children than previously thought, according to a study presented at the American Thoracic Society 2025...
Half of Youth-Serving Clinicians Screen for Substance Use Disorder at Every Well Visit
THURSDAY, May 22, 2025 -- Just over half of youth-serving clinicians report that they routinely screen adolescents for substance use disorders (SUDs) at every well visit...
Many Heart Failure Patients Do Not See a Cardiologist Annually
THURSDAY, May 22, 2025 -- About 40 percent of patients with heart failure diagnosis do not see a cardiologist annually, according to a study published online May 18 in the...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.