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. 2024 Jan 8:11:1302694.
doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1302694. eCollection 2023.

Prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder risk post-COVID-19 in 12 countries in Latin America: a cross-sectional survey

Christian R Mejia  1 , Víctor Serna-Alarcón  2   3 , Martín A Vilela-Estrada  2   3 , Jose Armada  4 , Milward Ubillus  1 , Jose Beraún-Barrantes  1 , Aldo Álvarez-Risco  5 , Shyla Del-Aguila-Arcentales  6 , Neal M Davies  7   8 , Jaime A Yáñez  9
Affiliations

Prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder risk post-COVID-19 in 12 countries in Latin America: a cross-sectional survey

Christian R Mejia et al. Front Public Health. .

Abstract

Introduction: Latin America was the region most affected by COVID-19 in the second quarter of 2020, and consequently, the impact on mental health requires evaluation. The aim of this study was to assess the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) caused by bereavement due to COVID-19 in 12 countries in Latin America.

Methods: The current study was an analytical cross-sectional study. Validated tests were applied for PTSD, depression, anxiety, and stress (DASS-21), questions about the respondent's condition or their environment, and demographic questions, as well as the length of the mourning period of suffering.

Results: The outcomes demonstrated that the PTSD risk increased for women (p < 0.001), when a friend or acquaintance had COVID-19 (p = 0.002), when a close relative died from COVID-19 (p = 0.010), having severe depression (p <0.001), severe anxiety (p <0.001), severe stress (p <0.001), residing in Chile (p <0.001), Paraguay (p <0.001), Bolivia (p <0.001), Costa Rica (p <0.001) or El Salvador (p = 0.005). On the other hand, there was less risk of PTSD at an older age (p <0.001) or if respondents had a sentimental partner (p = 0.025). In the case of severe PTSD, there was a greater gender risk for women (p <0.001), a close relative dying from COVID-19 (p = 0.017), having severe depression (p <0.001), severe anxiety (p <0.001), severe stress (p <0.001), residing in Chile (p <0.001), Paraguay (p <0.001), Bolivia (p <0.001) and Costa Rica (p = 0.002). It was also observed that there was less risk of severe PTSD at an older age demographic (p <0.001).

Discussion: It can be concluded that the percentages of PTSD are high in its clinical presentation as severe, especially among Latin American women.

Keywords: COVID-19; Latin America; PTSD; Peru; mental health; post-traumatic stress disorder.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Severe anxiety, severe stress, severe depression, PTSD, and severe PTSD in 12 Latin American countries during the COVID-19 pandemic.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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