Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in the General Population

TLDR

Studies of PTSD have focused on trauma victims, war veterans, and disaster communities, but epidemiologic data in the general population are scarce yet important. The study reports epidemiological findings on PTSD in 2,493 participants from a nationwide general‑population psychiatric survey. Data were obtained from a nationwide general‑population survey of psychiatric disorders. PTSD prevalence was 1 % overall, 3.5 % among civilians exposed to physical attack and Vietnam veterans not wounded, and 20 % among Vietnam veterans wounded; it co‑occurred with other psychiatric disorders, early behavioral problems predicted adult exposure to physical attack and combat and subsequent PTSD, and although some symptoms were common, the full DSM‑III syndrome was only common among wounded Vietnam veterans. Citation: N Engl J Med 1987;317:1630–4.

Abstract

There have been numerous studies of post-traumatic stress disorder in trauma victims, war veterans, and residents of communities exposed to disaster. Epidemiologic studies of this syndrome in the general population are rare but add an important perspective to our understanding of it. We report findings on the epidemiology of post-traumatic stress disorder in 2493 participants examined as part of a nationwide general-population survey of psychiatric disorders. The prevalence of a history of post-traumatic stress disorder was 1 percent in the total population, about 3.5 percent in civilians exposed to physical attack and in Vietnam veterans who were not wounded, and 20 percent in veterans wounded in Vietnam. Post-traumatic stress disorder was associated with a variety of other adult psychiatric disorders. Behavioral problems before the age of 15 predicted adult exposure to physical attack and (among Vietnam veterans) to combat, as well as the development of post-traumatic stress disorder among those so exposed. Although some symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, such as hyperalertness and sleep disturbances, occurred commonly in the general population, the full syndrome as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, third edition, was common only among veterans wounded in Vietnam. (N Engl J Med 1987;317:1630–4.)