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Trajectories of Posttraumatic Stress Among Urban Residents
Author(s) -
Lowe Sarah R.,
Galea Sandro,
Uddin Monica,
Koenen Karestan C.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
american journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.113
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1573-2770
pISSN - 0091-0562
DOI - 10.1007/s10464-014-9634-6
Subject(s) - socioeconomic status , psychiatry , psychology , demography , poison control , subclinical infection , medicine , posttraumatic stress , clinical psychology , gerontology , environmental health , population , sociology
Urban residents experience a wide range of traumatic events and are at increased risk of assaultive violence. Although previous research has examined trajectories of posttraumatic stress (PTS) through latent class growth analysis (LCGA) among persons exposed to the same index events (e.g., a natural disaster), PTS trajectories have not been documented among urban residents. The aims of this study were to conduct LGCA with a sample of trauma survivors from Detroit, Michigan ( N = 981), and to explore predictors of trajectory membership. Participants completed three annual telephone surveys, each of which included the posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Checklist‐Civilian Version. Four PTS trajectories were detected. Although the majority evidenced a trajectory of consistently few symptoms ( Low : 72.5 %), 4.6 % were in a trajectory of chronic severe PTSD ( High ), and the remainder were in trajectories of consistently elevated, but generally subclinical, levels of PTS ( Decreasing : 12.3 %; Increasing : 10.6 %). Socioeconomic disadvantage (e.g., lower income), more extensive trauma history (e.g., childhood abuse), and fewer social resources (e.g., lower social support) were associated with membership in higher PTS trajectories, relative to the Low trajectory. The results suggest that efforts to reduce PTS in urban areas need to attend to socioeconomic vulnerabilities in addition to trauma history and risk for ongoing trauma exposure.