Isolation, Economic Precarity, and Previous Mental Health Issues as Predictors of PTSD Status in Females Living in Fort McMurray During COVID-19

• Published in: Frontiers in Psychiatry
• Main Authors: Hannah Pazderka, Reham Shalaby, Ejemai Eboreime, Wanying Mao, Gloria Obuobi-Donkor, Belinda Agyapong, Folajinmi Oluwasina, Medard Kofi Adu, Ernest Owusu, Adegboyega Sapara, Vincent I. O. Agyapong
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2022
• Subjects: trauma; collective trauma; precarity; isolation; COVID-19; PTSD; Psychiatry; RC435-571; Fort McMurray; Canada
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.837713; https://doaj.org/article/926c587184ba4c9caa12c12709021f3c

ObjectivesThe COVID-19 pandemic represents an instance of collective trauma across the globe; as such, it is unique to our lifetimes. COVID-19 has made clear systemic disparities in terms of access to healthcare and economic precarity. Our objective was to examine the mental health repercussions of COVID-19 on adult females living in Fort McMurray, Canada in light of their unique circumstances and challenges.MethodTo investigate this issue, we analyzed responses gathered from an anonymous cross-section of online survey questionnaire responses gathered from females living in the Fort McMurray area (n = 159) during the COVID-19 pandemic (April 24–June 2, 2021). This included relevant demographic, mental health history, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as COVID-19 data. Chi-squared analysis was used to determine outcome relevance, and binary logistic regression was employed to generate a model of susceptibility to PTSD.Results159 females completed the survey. The prevalence of putative PTSD in our sample was 40.8%. A regression analysis revealed 4 variables with significant, unique contributions to PTSD. These were: a diagnosis of depression; a diagnosis of anxiety; job loss due to COVID-19; and lack of support from family and friends. Specifically, women with a previous diagnosis of either depression or anxiety were ~4–5 times more likely to present with PTSD symptomatology in the wake of COVID-19 (OR = 3.846; 95% CI: 1.13–13.13 for depression; OR = 5.190; 95% CI: 1.42–19.00 for anxiety). Women who reported having lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic were ~5 times more likely to show evidence of probable PTSD (OR = 5.182; 95% CI: 1.08–24.85). Receiving inadequate support from family and friends made the individual approximately four times as likely to develop probable PTSD (OR = 4.258; 95% CI: 1.24–14.65), while controlling for the other variables in the regression model.ConclusionsOverall, these results support our hypothesis that volatility in factors such as social support, economic ...