The mental health impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic and exposure to other potentially traumatic events up to old age

Autor(en)

Demi C. D. Havermans, Chris M. Hoeboer, Sjacko Sobczak, Indira Primasari, Bruno M. Coimbra, Ani Hovnanyan, Irina Zrnic Novakovic, Rachel Langevin, Helene F. Aakvaag, Emma Grace, Malgorzata Dragan, Brigitte Lueger‐Schuster, Wissam El‐Hage, Miranda Olff

Abstrakt

We investigated whether the impact of potentially traumatic events (PTEs) on trauma-related symptoms changes across the transitional adult lifespan (i.e., 16–100 years old) and if this association differs for self-reported COVID-19–related PTEs compared to other PTEs. A web-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 7,034 participants from 88 countries between late April and October 2020. Participants completed the Global Psychotrauma Screen (GPS), a self-report questionnaire assessing trauma-related symptoms. Data were analyzed using linear and logistic regression analyses and general linear models. We found that older age was associated with lower GPS total symptom scores, B = −0.02, p <.001; this association remained significant but was substantially weaker for self-reported COVID-19–related PTEs compared to other PTEs, B = 0.02, p =.009. The results suggest an association between older age and lower ratings of trauma-related symptoms on the GPS, indicating a blunted symptom presentation. This age-related trend was smaller for self-reported COVID-19–related PTEs compared to other PTEs, reflecting the relatively higher impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on older adults.

Organisation(en)

Institut für Klinische und Gesundheitspsychologie

Externe Organisation(en)

Maastricht University (UM), VU University Medical Center Amsterdam, University of Indonesia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Università degli Studi di Padova, McGill University, Norwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, University of Warsaw, Université de Tours

Journal

Journal of Traumatic Stress

Band

36

Seiten

738-749

Anzahl der Seiten

12

ISSN

0894-9867

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22937

Publikationsdatum

2023

Peer-reviewed

Ja

ÖFOS 2012

501010 Klinische Psychologie

ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete

Psychiatry and Mental health, Clinical Psychology

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 3 – Gesundheit und Wohlergehen

Link zum Portal

https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/de/publications/25c01626-e215-4443-a145-5be730076957