Your browser doesn't support javascript.
PTSD is not the emblematic disorder of the COVID-19 pandemic; adjustment disorder is.
Brunet, Alain; Rivest-Beauregard, Marjolaine; Lonergan, Michelle; Cipolletta, Sabrina; Rasmussen, Andrew; Meng, Xiangfei; Jaafari, Nematollah; Romero, Sara; Superka, Julia; Brown, Adam D; Sapkota, Ram P.
  • Brunet A; Research Center of the Douglas Mental Health University Institute (CIUSSS-ODIM), 6875 boulevard LaSalle, Montreal, QC, H4H 1R3, Canada. alain.brunet@mcgill.ca.
  • Rivest-Beauregard M; Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada. alain.brunet@mcgill.ca.
  • Lonergan M; Research Center of the Douglas Mental Health University Institute (CIUSSS-ODIM), 6875 boulevard LaSalle, Montreal, QC, H4H 1R3, Canada.
  • Cipolletta S; Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
  • Rasmussen A; Research Center of the Douglas Mental Health University Institute (CIUSSS-ODIM), 6875 boulevard LaSalle, Montreal, QC, H4H 1R3, Canada.
  • Meng X; School of Psychology, Ottawa University, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
  • Jaafari N; Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
  • Romero S; Department of Psychology, Fordham University, New York, NY, USA.
  • Superka J; Research Center of the Douglas Mental Health University Institute (CIUSSS-ODIM), 6875 boulevard LaSalle, Montreal, QC, H4H 1R3, Canada.
  • Brown AD; Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
  • Sapkota RP; Department of Psychiatry, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France.
BMC Psychiatry ; 22(1): 300, 2022 04 28.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1817198
ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND:

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been hailed by some as the emblematic mental disorder of the COVID-19 pandemic, assuming that PTSD's life-threat criterion was met de facto. More plausible outcomes like adjustment disorder (AD) have been overlooked.

METHODS:

An online cross-sectional survey was launched in the initial stage of the pandemic using a convenience sample of 5 913 adults to compare the prevalence of COVID-related probable PTSD versus probable AD. The abridged Impact of Event Scale - Revised (IES-6) assessed the severity of trauma- and stressor-related symptoms over the previous week. Demographic and pandemic-related data (e.g., receiving a formal diagnosis of COVID-19, job loss, loss of loved one, confinement, material hardship) were collected. A Classification and Regression Tree analysis was conducted to uncover the pandemic experiences leading to clinical 'caseness'. Caseness was defined by a score > 9 on the IES-6 symptom measure and further characterized as PTSD or AD depending on whether the Peritraumatic Distress Inventory's life-threat item was endorsed or not.

RESULTS:

The participants were predominantly Caucasian (72.8%), women (79.2%), with a university degree (85%), and a mean age of 42.22 (SD = 15.24) years; 3 647 participants (61.7%; 95%CI [60.4, 63.0]) met the threshold for caseness. However, when perceived life-threat was accounted for, only 6.7% (95%CI [6.1, 7.4]) were classified as PTSD cases, and 55% (95%CI [53.7, 56.2]) as AD cases. Among the AD cases, three distinct profiles emerged marked by the following (i) a worst personal pandemic experience eliciting intense fear, helplessness or horror (in the absence, however, of any life-threat), (ii) a pandemic experience eliciting sadness/grief, and (iii) worrying intensely about the safety of significant others.

CONCLUSIONS:

Studies considering the life-threat criterion as met de facto during the pandemic are confusing PTSD for AD on most counts. This misconception is obscuring the various AD-related idioms of distress that have emerged during the pandemic and the actual treatment needs.
Subject(s)
Keywords

Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / COVID-19 Type of study: Diagnostic study / Observational study / Prognostic study / Qualitative research / Randomized controlled trials Topics: Long Covid Limits: Adult / Female / Humans Language: English Journal: BMC Psychiatry Journal subject: Psychiatry Year: 2022 Document Type: Article Affiliation country: S12888-022-03903-5

Similar

MEDLINE

...
LILACS

LIS


Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / COVID-19 Type of study: Diagnostic study / Observational study / Prognostic study / Qualitative research / Randomized controlled trials Topics: Long Covid Limits: Adult / Female / Humans Language: English Journal: BMC Psychiatry Journal subject: Psychiatry Year: 2022 Document Type: Article Affiliation country: S12888-022-03903-5