Rise in PTSD Among College Students
The prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among college students in the United States has more than doubled from 3.4% in 2017 to 7.5% in 2022, according to a new study analyzing data from over 390,000 participants in the Healthy Minds Study. This increase, highlighted in a recent publication, is attributed to broader societal stressors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, campus shootings, social unrest, and sudden losses of loved ones.
Dr. Yusen Zhai, the lead researcher from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, noted the significant impact of these factors on young adults. The study also reported a rise in acute stress disorder diagnoses, from 0.2% to 0.7% over the same period. Increased teletherapy during the pandemic facilitated greater access to mental health care, correlating with higher treatment rates for anxiety disorders, PTSD, bipolar disorder, and depression.
Researchers emphasized the need for effective PTSD treatments on campuses, pointing to therapies used for veterans, like prolonged exposure therapy and cognitive processing therapy, as potential solutions. The study underscores the changing landscape of mental health challenges faced by college students.