Depression, Anxiety, and posttraumatic Stress Disorder After Traumatic Injury: A Temporal Retrospective Cohort Study

Area of Science:

• Trauma and Injury Research
• Psychiatry and Mental Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Traumatic injuries are known to precipitate mental health conditions.
• The precise scale and timeline for the development of depression, anxiety, and PTSD post-injury are not well-defined.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize the monthly incidence and prevalence of depression, anxiety, and PTSD following traumatic injury.
• To compare the temporal patterns of these mental health conditions between injured and non-injured patient cohorts.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study utilizing the TriNetX Research Network.
• Inclusion of adult patients with emergency department or inpatient encounters in January 2019.
• Classification into injured (ICD-10 codes S01-S99, T07, T14, T79) and non-injured groups.
• Monthly measurement and comparison of depression, anxiety, and PTSD incidence and prevalence over one year.

Main Results:

• A cohort of 924,243 patients (100,173 injured) was analyzed.
• Incidence rates for depression, anxiety, and PTSD peaked at 1 month post-injury and were significantly higher in injured patients (IRRs ranging from 1.79 to 2.04).
• At 12 months, injured patients exhibited significantly higher prevalence of depression (26.3% vs 15.3%), anxiety (28.6% vs 18.6%), and PTSD (7.5% vs 4.9%).

Conclusions:

• Traumatic injury leads to increased incidence and prevalence of depression, anxiety, and PTSD.
• These mental health conditions demonstrate persistent elevation in injured patients up to one year post-trauma.
• Findings highlight the temporal dynamics and chronicity of psychopathology following traumatic injury.