Financial disaster as a risk factor for posttraumatic stress disorder: internet survey of trauma in victims of the Madoff Ponzi scheme.

There are no known studies to date examining the risk of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) associated with sudden and dramatic personal financial loss. A Web-based, online, nonprobability convenience survey of 172 Madoff victims (56 percent female; mean age, 60.9 years) using the Posttraumatic Stress List Checklist, civilian version was conducted eight to 10 months following the focal event. Sociodemographic information and data concerning anxiety/depression and health-related concerns were gathered by self-report questionnaire. A five-point Likert-type scale was used to assess victim response to government regulatory systems. Results demonstrated that a majority of respondents (55.7 percent) met criteria for a presumptive Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., text rev.) diagnosis of PTSD, and as a group, respondents acknowledged high levels of anxiety (60.7 percent), depression (58 percent), and health-related problems (34 percent). Victims overwhelmingly affirmed a substantial loss of confidence in financial institutions (90 percent). This raises a public health concern as to governmental response and counseling needs during times of severe economic trauma.