TABLE 2. Traumatic events or stressors reported by 26,174 state, tribal, local, and territorial public health workers and comparisons* of symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder† — United States, March–April 2021.
| Traumatic event or stressor/Response | No.§ | PTSD prevalence, % | PTSD PR (95% CI) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Personal-related
| |||
|
Had COVID-19
| |||
| Yes¶ |
2,834 |
36.7 |
1.03 (0.98–1.09) |
| Maybe** |
3,310 |
42.4 |
1.19 (1.14–1.25) |
| No |
16,266 |
35.6 |
Ref |
|
Got divorced or separated
| |||
| Yes |
747 |
49.6 |
1.36 (1.27–1.47) |
| No |
22,084 |
36.3 |
Ref |
|
Experienced death of a loved one
| |||
| Yes |
7,580 |
42.3 |
1.24 (1.20–1.29) |
| No |
15,403 |
34.0 |
Ref |
|
Worried about the health of family and loved ones
| |||
| Yes |
20,857 |
39.4 |
3.11 (2.77–3.48) |
| No |
2,203 |
12.7 |
Ref |
|
Felt isolated and alone
| |||
| Yes |
12,944 |
49.8 |
2.49 (2.38–2.60) |
| No |
10,080 |
20.0 |
Ref |
|
Work-related
| |||
|
Felt overwhelmed by workload or family/work balance
| |||
| Yes |
16,563 |
45.4 |
3.10 (2.91–3.30) |
| No |
6,451 |
14.7 |
Ref |
|
Felt disconnected from family and friends because of workload
| |||
| Yes |
14,051 |
49.0 |
2.77 (2.64–2.91) |
| No |
8,964 |
17.7 |
Ref |
|
Felt inadequately compensated for work
| |||
| Yes |
13,703 |
45.2 |
1.85 (1.78–1.93) |
| No |
9,101 |
24.4 |
Ref |
|
Felt unappreciated at work
| |||
| Yes |
12,362 |
46.5 |
1.82 (1.76–1.90) |
| No |
10,551 |
25.5 |
Ref |
|
Experienced stigma or discrimination because of work
| |||
| Yes |
5,962 |
56.2 |
1.88 (1.82–1.94) |
| No |
16,944 |
29.9 |
Ref |
|
Received job-related threats because of work
| |||
| Yes |
2,699 |
61.8 |
1.85 (1.78–1.92) |
| No |
20,262 |
33.4 |
Ref |
|
Felt bullied, threatened, or harassed because of work
| |||
| Yes |
5,376 |
59.0 |
1.97 (1.91–2.03) |
| No |
17,594 |
30.0 |
Ref |
|
Interacted often with the public
| |||
| Yes |
11,143 |
41.1 |
1.23 (1.19–1.28) |
| No |
13,318 |
33.3 |
Ref |
|
Worried about workplace exposure to COVID-19
| |||
| Yes |
11,197 |
42.6 |
1.36 (1.31–1.41) |
| No | 11,805 | 31.3 | Ref |
Abbreviations: IES-6 = 6-item Impact of Event Scale; PR = prevalence ratio; PTSD = post-traumatic stress disorder; Ref = referent group.
* Referent group for all prevalence ratio calculations was not experiencing the traumatic event/stressor (i.e., “No” category).
† Experienced symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in the 2 weeks preceding survey, defined as having an IES-6 score ≥1.75 out of 4.
§ Some categories might not sum to 26,174; only those respondents who completed IES-6 questions (N = 22,248) are included in analysis.
¶ Positive COVID-19 test or diagnosis by medical professional.
** Had symptoms compatible with COVID-19 but not tested or test inconclusive.