Traumatic Events and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in an Urban Population of Young Adults

TLDR

Life‑style differences that affect exposure to high‑risk situations and personal predispositions to PTSD may account for a substantial portion of PTSD in this urban young adult population. The study aimed to determine the prevalence of PTSD and its risk factors among 1,007 randomly selected young adults in Detroit. The authors conducted a cross‑sectional survey of 1,007 participants drawn from a large health maintenance organization in the Detroit area. Among the sample, 39.1 % had experienced a traumatic event, 23.6 % of those developed PTSD (overall lifetime prevalence 9.2 %), and PTSD was more strongly linked to anxiety and affective disorders than to substance abuse; risk factors for exposure included low education, male sex, early conduct problems, extraversion, and family psychiatric history, while risk factors for PTSD included early parental separation, neuroticism, preexisting anxiety or depression, and family anxiety history.

Abstract

• To ascertain the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and risk factors associated with it, we studied a random sample of 1007 young adults from a large health maintenance organization in the Detroit, Mich, area. The lifetime prevalence of exposure to traumatic events was 39.1%. The rate of PTSD in those who were exposed was 23.6%, yielding a lifetime prevalence in the sample of 9.2%. Persons with PTSD were at increased risk for other psychiatric disorders; PTSD had stronger associations with anxiety and affective disorders than with substance abuse or dependence. Risk factors for exposure to<i>traumatic events</i>included low education, male sex, early conduct problems, extraversion, and family history of psychiatric disorder or substance problems. Risk factors for<i>PTSD following exposure</i>included early separation from parents, neuroticism, preexisting anxiety or depression, and family history of anxiety. Life-style differences associated with differential exposure to situations that have a high risk for traumatic events and personal predispositions to the PTSD effects of traumatic events might be responsible for a substantial part of PTSD in this population.