COVID-19 is a source of traumatic stress that may predict post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), it has been claimed.
New research shows that while the trauma of the deadly virus has impacted countless people, the association between COVID traumatic stress and PTSD is stronger among individuals who have repeated experiences of past trauma.
“We used to think about trauma as something in the background,” said Jeff Ashby, the study’s lead author, professor of counselling and psychological services in the College of Education & Human Development and co-director of the Center for Stress, Trauma and Resilience.
“While many people are insulated from deaths and economic hardships related to the pandemic, there is a universal experience of fear, concern for others and social isolation.
“The pandemic is different. Although COVID-19 has not impacted all people equally or in the same ways, it is a unique shared experience. We are all compromised by this prolonged and ongoing traumatic stress, even if we haven’t experienced PTSD.
“Among our findings is that the experience of COVID-19 is a traumatic stress. It isn’t just triggering earlier trauma, it’s a traumatic experience in and of itself.”
The study, led by Georgia State University, worked with 745 individuals to examine the potential interaction of race/ethnicity, COVID‐19 traumatic stress and cumulative trauma in the prediction of PTSD symptoms.
They used a recently validated COVID‐19 Traumatic Stress Scale to measure the pandemic’s impact as related to the threat or fear of infection and death.
Generally, the research revealed a positive and significant association between COVID traumatic stress and PTSD symptoms, suggesting that the pandemic is a unique traumatic stressor.
Among all racial groups, except Asian Americans, there was also an association between increased PTSD symptoms and high levels of cumulative trauma.
“We found a three-way interaction between COVID traumatic stress, cumulative trauma and race in predicting PTSD,” said Prof Ashby.
“That means there is a relationship between cumulative trauma and PTSD, and there is a relationship between COVID traumatic stress and PTSD.
“And except for Asian Americans, those of us who have more cumulative trauma are more likely to experience COVID-19 as a traumatic stressor.”
The authors note that the study has several implications for community psychology. For example, the study provides evidence that COVID‐19 can be considered a unique trauma, which could fuel efforts to advocate for trauma‐informed care in communities and schools.
Given the pandemic’s outsized impact on marginalised groups, trauma‐informed care could help minimise disparities in mental health outcomes related to the experiences of the pandemic.
