Abstract

SERRANO-JUAREZ, Carlos Alberto; VARGAS CABRIADA, Dalia Sofía; DE LEON MIRANDA, Miguel Ángel  and  GARCIA-REYES, Diana Lorena. Prevalence of symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in adult population, two and ten months after the outbreak of COVID-19. Escritos de Psicología [online]. 2021, vol.14, n.2, pp.63-72.  Epub May 23, 2022. ISSN 1989-3809.  https://dx.doi.org/10.24310/espsiescpsi.v14i2.12923.

In 2020, it was suggested that the prevalence of symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) could be greater in individuals who have acquired COVID-19. The study aim was to investigate the prevalence of PTSD symptoms in the adult population following the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak. Two groups participated; one comprising 441 adults (82% female; age: M=36.89; SD=11.93) and another comprising 182 adults (79% female; age: M= 48.1; SD= 0.8). Both groups completed an online questionnaire prepared by the authors to assess the prevalence of PTSD symptoms at 2 and 10 months following the start of the outbreak. A descriptive and parametric analysis was performed for the 2-month sample and ANCOVA and multiple linear regression analysis were performed for the 10-month sample. No differences were found at 2 and 10 months; however, the results showed that there was a higher prevalence of PTSD symptoms in people with a history of COVID-19 and in adults younger than 40 years. The participation of mental health professionals will become of increasing relevance in the future to prevent and treat PTSD in the population with COVID-19.

Keywords : Post-traumatic stress disorder; COVID-19; Anxiety; Outbreak; Stress.

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