The research presented in this paper was approached with the hypothesis that individuals with previous exposure to potentially traumatic events, low social support, and higher levels of exposure to mass violence incidents would report more symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder; the paper describes their research methodology, results, and conclusions.
This research project aimed to investigate the prevalence of, and factors associated with, past-year and current posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among adults in communities that experienced a mass violence incident (MVI). The cross-sectional survey was completed between February and September 2020 with a household probability sample of adults from six communities in Ohio, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, California, and Virginia, that had experienced an MVI between 2015 and 2019. The primary outcome was presumptive diagnostic-level past-year PTSD and current (past month) PTSD determined using American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fifth Edition) (DSM-5) PTSD criteria. A total of 6,867 adults aged 18 years or older accessed the website; 5,991 of these agreed to participate and completed the survey, 343 partially completed the survey, and 443 did not meet eligibility criteria or refused to participate. Most of the 5,991 respondents were female (3,825 individuals) and had a mean (SD) age of 45.56 (17.58) years. A total of 1,261 of 5,931 individuals reported high exposure to the MVI. Regression analyses found that being female and having a history of both physical or sexual assault and other potentially traumatic events were associated with the greatest risk of past-year PTSD. In this survey study of 5,991 participants, presumptive PTSD was quite prevalent long after the MVI among adults in communities that have experienced an MVI, suggesting that MVIs have persistent and pervasive public health impacts on communities, particularly among those with prior exposure to physical or sexual assault and other potentially traumatic events. Focusing exclusively on direct exposure to MVIs is insufficient. Incorporating these findings into screening should improve efforts to identify the individuals most in need of prevention or mental health service after MVIs. (Published Abstract Provided)