Stress and mental health challenges are ubiquitous aspects of modern life, with potentially traumatic events (PTEs) ranging from everyday stressors to severe incidents. The recently published Survey on Mental Health and Stressful Events (SMHSE) of 2023 sheds light on the prevalence of these events among Canadian adults and their link to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms.
Potentially traumatic events are incidents involving actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence. These can include experiences such as war, major accidents, natural or human-caused disasters, and various forms of interpersonal violence. The impact of these events varies, with some individuals developing PTSD, characterized by symptoms like intrusive memories, avoidance of reminders, and sleep disturbances.
The SMHSE revealed that approximately 8% of Canadian adults reported moderate to severe PTSD symptoms in the month before the survey. This statistic underscores the significant mental health burden these events can impose.
A substantial majority (63%) of adults in Canada reported experiencing at least one PTE in their lifetime. These exposures could be direct, witnessed, learned about occurring to close individuals, or encountered repeatedly in a professional context. The most common PTEs included transportation accidents (31%), physical assaults (18%), life-threatening illnesses or injuries (17%), natural disasters (15%), and non-assaultive unwanted sexual experiences (15%).
The survey highlighted notable gender differences in PTE exposure. While both men (60%) and women (67%) reported significant exposure, the types of events differed. Women were more likely to report sexual assault (16% vs. 4%) and other unwanted sexual experiences (23% vs. 6%). Conversely, men reported higher exposure to serious accidents (15% vs. 11%), fire or explosions (11% vs. 9%), and toxic substances (7% vs. 3%).
While 8% of adults overall reported moderate to severe PTSD symptoms, this prevalence varied by gender and age. Women reported higher levels (10%) compared to men (7%). Younger adults (18-24 years) had a significantly higher prevalence (13%) compared to seniors (3%).
Certain traumatic events had stronger associations with PTSD symptoms. For instance, 35% of those who experienced captivity and 29% of those who experienced sexual assault reported moderate to severe PTSD symptoms. Other forms of assault and harassment also showed significant associations, with around 23-24% of affected individuals reporting severe symptoms.
The survey found that exposure to multiple types of PTEs increased the likelihood of PTSD symptoms. While 7% of those exposed to a single type of PTE reported severe symptoms, this rate jumped to 26% among those exposed to five or more types.
PTSD symptoms significantly impacted daily functioning, particularly in the workplace. Among those aged 25-54, 25% with moderate to severe PTSD symptoms had not worked in the three months prior to the survey, compared to 12% without these symptoms. Additionally, 38% of working individuals with severe symptoms reported reduced productivity due to their mental health, compared to 5% without severe symptoms.
The survey also explored the correlation between PTSD symptoms and substance use. Heavy drinking and cannabis use were more prevalent among those with moderate to severe PTSD symptoms. Specifically, 38% reported heavy drinking, and 15% reported daily cannabis use, compared to 29% and 4%, respectively, among those without severe symptoms. Notably, 64% of PTSD sufferers using cannabis did so for medical reasons.