Manic Monday: PTSD Associated with Quantity & Length of Hospital Stays
The latest research shows that post-traumatic stress disorder may be associated with the number and length of hospital stays and greater mental healthcare utilization in urban primary care patients. These findings appear in the current issue of Medical Care.
Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center interviewed primary care patients to examine overall prevalence of traumatic exposure and select behavioral health outcomes in addition to PTSD, including major depression, substance dependence and chronic pain.
Medical News Today states:
Among the participants, the researchers found that 80 percent had one or more trauma exposures. Compared to participants with no trauma exposure, subjects exposed to trauma were significantly more likely to be males, unmarried, have substance dependence and depression. They also had more mental health visits than those with no trauma exposure.
Among the participants, 22 percent had current PTSD. Compared to participants without PTSD, those with PTSD were significantly more likely to be female, to have an annual income of less than or equal to $20,000, have substance dependence and depression. PTSD participants also had more hospitalizations and mental health visits.
According to the researchers, among urban primary care patients PTSD is associated with greater health care use: both mental health visits and hospitalizations.
Previous studies have shown that PTSD and trauma exposure have a large impact on health care costs and use. Most of these studies were done on veteran men and women who had been the victims of sexual assault.
Sandy Robinson also is the blogger for her own website, Fighting Fatigue and the Fighting Fatigue Forum. On the WebbleYou Network, Sandy is co-blogger for the American Idolist blog.
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