Ravi Meghna, Powers Abigail, Rothbaum Barbara O, Stevens Jennifer S, Michopoulos Vasiliki
Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Atlanta, Georgia.
Emory National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, Georgia.
Mental Health Sci. 2023 Dec;1(4):213-221. doi: 10.1002/mhs2.35. Epub 2023 Aug 21.
Individuals living in areas with high rates of poverty are disproportionately affected by posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Despite this association, little is known about how neighborhood poverty rates impact risk for PTSD development. In the current prospective study, we determined the relationship between neighborhood poverty rate and PTSD symptoms six-months after experiencing a traumatic event in a sample of varied race, gender, and socioeconomic status.
Participants (=252) were enrolled in a hospital emergency department after experiencing a traumatic event. Demographic information (including zip code of residence), baseline PTSD symptoms, and baseline trauma history was assessed in the emergency department. PTSD symptoms were again assessed six-months post-trauma. Neighborhood poverty rate was determined using the American Community Survey.
Correlation analyses revealed that neighborhood poverty was significantly associated with baseline PTSD symptoms (.181, .004) and PTSD symptoms six-months post-trauma (.163, .009). A regression analysis controlling for baseline trauma exposure, clinician-rated trauma severity, and individual socioeconomic status demonstrated that neighborhood poverty predicted PTSD symptoms six-months post-trauma (R= 0.099, = 0.15, 0.04), but this relationship was no longer significant when baseline PTSD symptoms was added as an additional covariate (R=.304, = 0.07, 0.05).
Overall, results suggest that neighborhood poverty generally increases PTSD symptom severity, and the context in which an individual lives should be considered when conceptualizing risk for PTSD.
生活在贫困率高的地区的个体受创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）的影响尤为严重。尽管存在这种关联，但对于邻里贫困率如何影响PTSD发生风险却知之甚少。在当前的前瞻性研究中，我们在一个包含不同种族、性别和社会经济地位的样本中，确定了邻里贫困率与创伤事件发生六个月后的PTSD症状之间的关系。
参与者（=252）在经历创伤事件后被纳入医院急诊科。在急诊科评估人口统计学信息（包括居住邮编）、基线PTSD症状和基线创伤史。创伤事件发生六个月后再次评估PTSD症状。邻里贫困率通过美国社区调查确定。
相关性分析显示，邻里贫困与基线PTSD症状（.181，.004）以及创伤事件发生六个月后的PTSD症状（.163，.009）显著相关。一项控制基线创伤暴露、临床医生评定的创伤严重程度和个体社会经济地位的回归分析表明，邻里贫困可预测创伤事件发生六个月后的PTSD症状（R = 0.099，= 0.15，0.04），但当将基线PTSD症状作为额外协变量纳入时，这种关系不再显著（R =.304，= 0.07，0.05）。
总体而言，结果表明邻里贫困通常会增加PTSD症状的严重程度，并且在概念化PTSD风险时应考虑个体的生活环境。
