Retrospective Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Psychiatry. Jul 19, 2025; 15(7): 105742
Published online Jul 19, 2025. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v15.i7.105742
Risk factors for posttraumatic stress disorder in patients with multiple injuries and its relationship with anxiety and depression
Zhi-Hao Zhou, Jin Mao, Da Cao
Zhi-Hao Zhou, Jin Mao, Da Cao, Department of Emergency Medicine, Zhongda Hospital Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, Jiangsu Province, China
Author contributions: Zhou ZH, Mao J and Cao D designed the study and were involved in the data acquisition and writing of this article; Zhou ZH contributed to the analysis of the manuscript; all authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Supported by Nanjing Municipal Special Fund for Health Science and Technology Development Support Project, No. GBX21333.
Institutional review board statement: This study was approved by the Ethic Committee of Zhongda Hospital Southeast University.
Informed consent statement: Patients were not required to give informed consent to the study because the analysis used anonymous clinical data that were obtained after each patient agreed to treatment by written consent.
Conflict-of-interest statement: There is no conflict of interest.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Zhi-Hao Zhou, Department of Emergency Medicine, Zhongda Hospital Southeast University, No. 87 Dingjiaqiao, Nanjing 210009, Jiangsu Province, China. xgg751116@126.com
Received: April 1, 2025
Revised: May 6, 2025
Accepted: June 10, 2025
Published online: July 19, 2025
Processing time: 99 Days and 19.4 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Patients with multiple injuries endure not just physical trauma and suffering but are also at risk of psychological conditions such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression. The co-occurrence of PTSD in these patients may cause prolonged physical and mental health complications, thereby further increasing their healthcare expenses.

AIM

To determine the association between the high-risk factors of PTSD and anxiety as well as depression among patients with multiple injuries.

METHODS

This study selected 110 patients with multiple injuries who were admitted to our hospital from November 2022 to November 2024. The number and percentage of patients developing PTSD were tallied. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to investigate the high-risk factors of PTSD in these patients. Subsequently, the associations between these factors and the anxiety and depression levels of patients were analyzed.

RESULTS

Of the 110 patients, 33 suffered from PTSD, representing an incidence rate of 30.0%. The univariate analysis identified age, personality, Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD), economic status, negative life events, and smoking history to be significantly associated with PTSD in patients with multiple injuries. Further, the multivariate analysis revealed age, HAMA, HAMD, monthly income, and negative life events as prominent high-risk factors for PTSD in such patients. Regarding the relationships between these factors and HAMA and HAMD, age exhibited a significant positive correlation (r = 0.398, P < 0.001; r = 0.387, P < 0.001), monthly income showed a significant negative correlation (r = -0.437, P < 0.001; r = -0.319, P < 0.001), and negative life events demonstrated a significant positive correlation (r = 0.505, P < 0.001; r = 0.365, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

These results indicate age, HAMA, HAMD, monthly income, negative life events, etc. as high-risk factors for PTSD in patients with multiple injuries, among which age, monthly income, and negative life events are closely associated with anxiety and depression.

Keywords: Multiple injuries; Posttraumatic stress disorder; High-risk factors; Anxiety; Depression

Core Tip: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in patients with multiple injuries results in long-term physical and psychological complications, which significantly impair postoperative recovery. This study investigates the risk factors for PTSD in patients with multiple injuries and explores its association with anxiety and depression. Considering the limited existing research in this field, our results may help address crucial knowledge gaps. The results indicate advanced age, high Hamilton Anxiety Scale scores, high Hamilton Depression Scale scores, low monthly income, and negative life event exposure as significant risk factors for PTSD in such patients. Furthermore, advanced age, low monthly income, and negative life events are considered key contributors to emotional distress in this population. These results provide valuable information for the early screening and stratified intervention of PTSD in patients with multiple injuries, providing potential clinical guidance to improve outcomes.