US gun violence survivors struggle with long-term trauma: study

NEW YORK -- A recent study in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine highlights an under-recognized consequence of all the gun violence in the United States: the long-term mental trauma inflicted upon the most immediate survivors, those who are actually injured by guns.

By looking at data from 87 adults who had been injured by guns and visited trauma centers in midwestern cities, the researchers found that patients experienced heightened symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression.

"In particular, these survivors had a markedly worse quality of life than individuals who had not undergone those experiences," said news portal Salon in its report of the study.

As the authors wrote in the study, "Patients' health-related quality of life" had been poor at the outset, remained poor six months after the incidents and had remained "well below scores reported in previous studies of both injury populations and the general population."

"This study provides a picture of what the mental health experience is for firearm violence survivors early after being injured," Sydney Timmer-Murillo, a Health & Trauma Psychology Fellow at the Medical College of Wisconsin, was quoted by Salon as saying.

"Our study provides evidence that firearm violence survivors report higher PTSD symptoms that remain high six months later. Additionally, their 'health-related quality of life,' or the impact that physical health has on their daily life, is poor after gun violence and continues to be poor," added Timmer-Murillo.