Subjective distress from trauma in older clients with severe mental illness

There is little research on older persons with severe mental illness (SMI) who have experienced trauma. We conducted an exploratory study with 174 community mental health clients with SMI who were 50 years of age or older (range 50–87; mean age 58) to examine the relationship between subjective distress related to six common traumas and post-traumatic stress symptoms while controlling for gender and other key psychiatric symptoms. With regression analysis, we found that of the six common traumas, only distress from unexpected loss of a loved one was significant. That factor accounted for the most variance in post-traumatic stress symptoms than all other factors in the model including gender, psychiatric symptoms of SMI, and other trauma. Gender and symptoms of psychosis were also significant in the model. Unexpected losses, particularly in older persons with SMI, can cause considerable emotional distress and could be related to post-traumatic stress symptoms. Practitioners should be vigilant in regularly screening older people with SMI for recent loss of loved ones and be prepared to address their distress with grief/bereavement counseling.