'Significant increase' in PTSD during Covid-19 pandemic

Men aged 18-34 and those living in Leinster were worst affected by the increased level of PTSD, according to the new study. Stock Image.

There was a “significant increase” in PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) across the population over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic last year, with the rise most acute in younger males.

The findings are in a new report called Changes in PTSD, depression, and generalized anxiety before and during the Covid-19 pandemic in Ireland, which was written by a team of researchers from the Department of Psychology at Maynooth University, the HSE, the School of Medicine at Trinity College Dublin, the Trinity Centre for Global Health, and the School of Psychology at Ulster University.

It compared the prevalence of PTSD, depression, and generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) before and during the Covid-19 pandemic across nationally representative samples of Irish adults, in February 2019 and April, May and December last year. Each time more than 1,000 people were surveyed.

According to the study: “The prevalence of PTSD significantly increased from 12.5% in 2019 to 18.0% in April 2020, to 22.0% in May, and returning to 17.6% in December 2020. PTSD increases were most consistently observed in males, those aged 18-34 years, those without a university qualification, and those living in the Leinster region of Ireland, where the capital city of Dublin is located. There were no significant changes in the prevalence of depression or GAD.” 

'Statistically significant'

The researchers said PTSD increased by 5.5% from February 2019 to April 2020, with the 4% increase between April 2020 and May 2020 described as “statistically significant”.

There was then a significant 4.9% decrease in PTSD between May 2020 and December 2020, although PTSD levels at that point remained significantly above February 2019 levels.

The increase in PTSD levels charted in the study was much more pronounced among men than women.

Overall, it said: “PTSD levels in Ireland were at 22.0% in May 2020 compared to 12.5% in February 2019.

“Increases in PTSD were also evident among young adults, those without a third-level qualification, and those residing in the region of Leinster, where the capital city of Dublin is located. It is possible therefore that young, urban dwelling men, working in more precarious occupations were experiencing the brunt of traumatic stress reactions related to the pandemic.” 

The study, which was supported by funding from the Health Research Board and the Irish Research Council, is published in the Journal of Affective Disorders and can be read here