Prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder risk post-COVID-19 in 12 countries in Latin America: a cross-sectional survey.

Introduction: Latin America was the region most affected by COVID-19 in the second quarter of 2020, and consequently, the impact on mental health requires evaluation. The aim of this study was to assess the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) caused by bereavement due to COVID-19 in 12 countries in Latin America.

Methods: The current study was an analytical cross-sectional study. Validated tests were applied for PTSD, depression, anxiety, and stress (DASS-21), questions about the respondent's condition or their environment, and demographic questions, as well as the length of the mourning period of suffering.

Results: The outcomes demonstrated that the PTSD risk increased for women ( < 0.001), when a friend or acquaintance had COVID-19 ( = 0.002), when a close relative died from COVID-19 ( = 0.010), having severe depression ( <0.001), severe anxiety (  <0.001), severe stress (  <0.001), residing in Chile (  <0.001), Paraguay (  <0.001), Bolivia (  <0.001), Costa Rica (  <0.001) or El Salvador (  = 0.005). On the other hand, there was less risk of PTSD at an older age (  <0.001) or if respondents had a sentimental partner (  = 0.025). In the case of severe PTSD, there was a greater gender risk for women (  <0.001), a close relative dying from COVID-19 (  = 0.017), having severe depression (  <0.001), severe anxiety (  <0.001), severe stress (  <0.001), residing in Chile (  <0.001), Paraguay (  <0.001), Bolivia (  <0.001) and Costa Rica (  = 0.002). It was also observed that there was less risk of severe PTSD at an older age demographic (  <0.001).

Discussion: It can be concluded that the percentages of PTSD are high in its clinical presentation as severe, especially among Latin American women.