COVID-19 and PTSD

Prevalence in epidemic and pandemic survivors

What is prevalence of PTSD in epidemic and pandemic survivors?

Prevalence represents the overall proportion of individuals in a population who have the disorder of interest. It is different from incidence, which represents only the new cases that have developed over a particular time period. Point prevalence is the proportion of individuals who have the disorder at a given point in time. Period prevalence is the proportion of individuals who have the disorder over specific time periods. Lifetime prevalence is the proportion of individuals who have ever had the disorder. Lifetime morbid risk also includes those who had the disorder but were deceased at the time of the survey.

What is the evidence for the prevalence of PTSD in epidemic or pandemic survivors?

Moderate to high quality evidence finds the overall prevalence of PTSD within 12 months of an infectious disease pandemic is around 22.6%. Rates were highest in frontline healthcare workers, during COVID-19 (rather than during severe acute respiratory syndrome, Middle East respiratory syndrome, Ebola, or H1N1), and in individuals exposed to quarantine (home or hotel).

Moderate quality finds the rates of PTSD were higher in coronavirus patients with a history of physical illness, functional impairment, pain, and in those experiencing a lack of control.

December 2021

Image: ©CREATIVE WONDER – stock.adobe.com

Last updated at: 2:38 pm, 22nd December 2021
To view documentation related to this topic download the files below
Fact Sheet Technical Commentary
Tags:  COVID-19 SARS

NeuRA Libraries

Title Colour Legend:
Green - Topic summary is available.
Orange - Topic summary is being compiled.
Red - Topic summary has no current systematic review available.