PTSD Persists in Communities After a Mass Violence Incident

PTSD extends beyond those personally experiencing the incident

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, Aug. 2, 2024 (HealthDay News) — 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.