Abstract: Objective To investigate the prevalence of traumatic event exposure and its relationship with major depressive disorder (MDD) in community population in Tianjin. Methods A multi-stage cluster random sampling method was used for the general health questionnaire (GHQ-12) in the population aged above 18 in 15 538 families of 18 counties in Tianjin city. Among the 11 748 subjects who completed the survey, they were divided into the high-risk group (100%), medium risk group (40%) and low risk group (10%) according to the risk level of mental disorders. Finally, 4 438 residents were interviewed with the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders Fourth Edition (DSM-Ⅳ) axis Ⅰ diagnostic clinical interview version (SCID-Ⅰ/P). The prevalence of respondents exposed to traumatic events and MDD was calculated. Logistic regression analysis was applied to obtain the risk factors of MDD. Results A total of 469 people experienced traumatic events in 4 438 subjects, and the adjusted total exposure rate was 10.3%. Seventy-six people suffered from MDD in 469 cases with traumatic events, and the adjusted total exposure rate was 6.7%. The prevalence of MDD was 3.3% in people with no traumatic events. Logistic regression analysis showed that female (OR=1.77， 95%CI： 1.27-2.46), widowed/ divorced and experienced a traumatic event (OR=2.21， 95%CI： 1.46-3.34) were the risk factors of MDD. Conclusion The total exposure rate of traumatic events is 10.3% in community residents in Tianjin, and the prevalence of MDD is related with the traumatic event exposure. It is suggested that the whole society should mobilize and participate extensively, and pay more attention to the psychological health problems of high risk population.

Key words: epidemiologic studies, stress disorders, traumatic, acute, depressive disorder, expose, Tianjin, major depressive disorder, community population