PTSD Rates Surge Among College Students: Report

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Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is surgng among American college students, a new study shows. PTSD rates increased by 4.1 percentage points, jumping to 7.5 percent in 2021–2022 from 3.4 percent in 2017–2018.

The stark increase likely stems from a combination of events, including campus shootings, nationwide racial tensions, and the loss of loved ones during the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, who conducted the study, suggest.

Trauma Grips US Colleges

In the analysis, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the team examined student populations from a diverse array of 332 higher education institutions across the U.S., encompassing a broad geographic range and various institutional types. Their extensive survey captured data from nearly 400,000 college students, with females comprising a slight majority at 57.7 percent.

Over the period from 2017 to 2022, the researchers also observed an increase in the prevalence of acute stress disorder (ASD) among college students. ASD prevalence rose by 0.5 percentage points, growing to 0.7 percent from 0.2 percent over the same timeframe.

Even after accounting for demographic differences among participants, statistical analysis confirmed these upward trends remained statistically significant.

“These trends highlight the escalating mental health challenges among college students, which is consistent with recent research reporting a surge in psychiatric diagnoses,” the authors wrote.

The authors warned that “PTSD and ASD can severely impair college students’ academic and social functioning.” These conditions can have far-reaching negative impacts that extend well beyond the college years. They have been linked to persistent, long-term health problems.

The wide-ranging societal repercussions of PTSD and acute stress disorder include diminished productivity in the workforce and escalating financial strains on health care systems and the broader economy, according to the study.

A 2023 annual report from the Center for Collegiate Mental Health at Pennsylvania State University suggested that nearly half of all college students seeking counseling have experienced some form of trauma. This figure represents a staggering 10 percentage point spike compared with the center’s initial 2012 report, surging to 46.8 percent from 37.5 percent.

1 in 16 Americans Grapple With PTSD

About 6 percent of Americans will experience PTSD at some point in their lifetime, according to the National Center for PTSD. In 2020 alone, about 13 million Americans grappled with this disorder. Women are more susceptible, with an 8 percent likelihood of developing PTSD, compared with 4 percent for men. Veterans face an even higher risk due to the traumatic nature of wartime experiences, which are a common trigger for PTSD.

The American Psychiatric Association defines it as a psychiatric disorder that can occur after an individual has experienced or witnessed a traumatic event, series of events, or set of circumstances. In the aftermath, the person may perceive the trauma as emotionally or physically harmful, or even life-threatening. When reliving the trauma, people with PTSD often experience intense, disturbing thoughts and emotions so vivid that it feels like they are re-experiencing the traumatic event all over again. Common symptoms include intrusive thoughts, avoidance behaviors, alterations in cognition and mood, and changes in arousal and reactivity.

Finding Relief

While symptoms of PTSD can occasionally subside on their own, more frequently, people require professional treatment to overcome the psychological distress caused by this disorder.

Professional treatment typically involves working with a psychiatrist or other mental health professional who can provide medication management or talk therapy approaches.

Complementary options such as acupuncture, yoga, and animal-assisted therapies may also be beneficial.

In addition to counseling, many find it therapeutic to share their experiences and perspectives in a peer support group setting with others suffering from PTSD.