Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Older People

Abstract

Research into post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among older people is in its ascendancy. Several reviews have been published to capture the main arguments of the studies from 1994 to 2000. This article aims to review published studies from 2000 onwards on PTSD among older people. These studies show that following their exposure to different types of traumas, older people have been shown to develop PTSD symptoms, a range of psychiatric comorbidity and cognitive and biological changes. On the whole, PTSD reactions do not vary across age groups, although this finding is not entirely conclusive. There seems to be evidence demonstrating ethnic differences in terms of PTSD reactions. Despite some anecdotal evidence, research has not focused on evaluating therapeutic interventions for older people with PTSD.