Mental Health Consequences of the July Revolution in Bangladesh: A Study on Depression and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Among Survivors of Violence and Persecution

Introduction This study examined the mental health consequences of Bangladesh's July Revolution (2024) by assessing the occurrence of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms among survivors of state violence and persecution while identifying associated risk factors. Materials and methods A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2024 to February 2025 among 217 injured survivors (mean age: 26.0 ± 9.7 years; 97.2% male). Participants were assessed via face-to-face interviews using validated tools: Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) (cutoff: ≥10 for depression) and PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) (cutoff: ≥33 for PTSD). Univariate logistic regression was performed to analyze sociodemographic and clinical associations. Results Depression and PTSD were alarmingly high: 82.5% met the threshold for depression (PHQ-9 mean: 14.7 ± 5.6) and 64.1% for PTSD (PCL-5 mean: 37.6 ± 16.1). Urban survivors had significantly lower odds of depression (OR = 0.47, 95% CI: 0.22-1.00) and PTSD (OR = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.29-0.92) than rural counterparts. Strikingly, 99.3% of PTSD cases had comorbid depression, with strong symptom correlation (r = 0.772, p < 0.001). No other sociodemographic factors (age, sex, education, occupation, and socioeconomic status) or violence type showed significant associations. Conclusions The revolution's survivors exhibited extreme mental health burdens, underscoring an urgent need for trauma-integrated care, especially in rural areas.