Posttraumatic stress disorder among Asian individuals in the United States: A systematic review and meta-analysis

The current systematic review and meta-analysis synthesized literature on the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among Asians in Canada and the United States (U.S.), with variations in PTSD prevalence by administration mode and timeframe. Secondary aims focused on describing PTSD assessment methodologies and associated health correlates. Four databases were searched on October 18, 2024, and updated on February 26, 2026. Eligible studies focused on Asians in Canada and the U.S., used PTSD measures, were in English, used quantitative designs, and were not reviews/meta-analyses. Following the PRISMA guidelines, 81 studies were included from 2493 screened articles. Sample sizes ranged from six to 4721, and all studies were conducted in the U.S. The pooled PTSD prevalence was 22.33% in the overall Asian (sub)sample ( k = 38 studies), and 17.36% in the trauma-exposed Asian (sub)sample after adjusting for publication bias ( k = 30 studies, with 11 studies added using trim and fill analyses to adjust for publication bias). Subgroup analyses revealed that the pooled PTSD prevalence was approximately four times lower (7.81% vs. 34%) in studies using an interview ( k = 12) versus self-report ( k = 24) measure of PTSD. Most studies used self-report (60.49%–75.31%) and English measures of PTSD and trauma without any cultural adaptation, backtranslation or validation (44.44%–49.38%). Most studies used a version of the PTSD Checklist (45.68%) to assess PTSD and the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (11.11%) to assess trauma. While few studies examined health correlates of PTSD, results linked higher PTSD severity to worse psychological, physical, and social health. Results highlight the substantial prevalence of PTSD in the U.S. Asian community, caution regarding discrepancies in PTSD prevalence estimates across administration modes, and the need to develop culturally grounded PTSD measures for the Asian diaspora. • We reviewed 81 studies on PTSD among Asians in Canada and U.S. • Pooled PTSD prevalence was 22.33% and 17.36% in the overall and trauma-exposed Asian samples respectively. • Pooled PTSD prevalence differed by assessment method; clinician assessments yielded lower rates. • There is a lack of culturally informed trauma and PTSD measures for Asians.