High Rates of Probable Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in an Acute Psychiatric Women's Inpatient Unit: An Opportunity to Improve Diagnosis and Direct Critical Efforts.

purposeTrauma disorders are prevalent and confer high rates of psychiatric comorbidity and functional impairment. Women are more likely to be affected by trauma disorders; however, rates and symptom burden in women's inpatient psychiatric units remains understudied. We hypothesized the prevalence of probable posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) would be higher among women admitted to a women's inpatient unit compared to women in the general population and mixed gender units. We evaluated demographic and clinical characteristics associated with probable PTSD diagnosis.

methodsScreening for probable PTSD diagnosis was performed using the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were completed to determine demographic and clinical characteristics associated with a probable PTSD diagnosis. Logistic regression was performed to assess the adjusted associations between covariates and probable PTSD.

resultsWe identified 262 patients, including 192 (73.3%) with probable PTSD. Individuals with probable PTSD had higher rates of previous suicide attempt (69.8% versus 34.3%;

conclusionsThese findings illuminate the high prevalence of probable PTSD on a women's psychiatric unit, supporting the need for increased screening and tailored treatment. Focusing on trauma-related symptoms could help alleviate patient suffering and improve treatment effectiveness.