Psychiatric disorders endorsed by trauma-exposed premenopausal women enrolled in a cardiovascular research study: a 2-year report

Abstract

Introduction: Women are more likely than men to experience interpersonal trauma, with 1 in 3 women affected globally. This paper aims to give a 2-year report of the demographics, trauma history [i.e., non-interpersonal and interpersonal including adverse childhood event (ACEs)] and psychiatric disorders endorsed by premenopausal women screened for our cardiovascular research study. Methods: Premenopausal women were recruited from the Twin-Cities area using flyers. Interested participants were screened for this study via REDCap. Age, race, history of psychiatric disorders, menopausal status, contraceptives, and current medications were collected. Participants who met the eligibility criteria were enrolled and completed additional questionnaires focusing on trauma exposure and mental health. Results: The first 2 years our study was open to accrual, a total of 447 premenopausal women were screened. The majority (~ 71%) of our participants were between 18 and 30 years old. Among the 447 women, 35% reported a diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), while 46% reported depression and 53% an anxiety disorder, according to DSM-5. Further, we found that women between the ages of 21–25 years reported the most (23%) psychiatric disorders, mainly PTSD. The main type of trauma reported was interpersonal trauma (~ 62%), of which 76% were ACEs. Conclusion: Among the trauma-exposed women enrolled in our study, the age group between 21 and 25 years old endorsed the most psychiatric disorders, possibly stemming from ACEs. Our findings shed the light on the rising rate of psychiatric disorders in premenopausal women and support the growing public health burden of trauma exposure, particularly in childhood.