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J Trauma Stress. 1 June 2007; Volume 20 (Issue 3); DOI:10.1002/jts.20207
Souza R, Bernatsky S, Reyes R, Jong K
J Trauma Stress. 1 June 2007; Volume 20 (Issue 3); DOI:10.1002/jts.20207
The authors determined the prevalence of severe emotional distress and depressive symptoms using the Hopkins Symptoms Checklist-25 (HSCL; Derogatis, Lipman, Rickels, Uhlenhuth, & Covi, 1974) in tsunami-affected communities that had experienced armed conflict arising from the ongoing independence movement in Aceh Province, Indonesia. We also evaluated determinants of severe emotional distress. The data were collected for the purposes of a mental health assessment. In our sample (N = 262), 83.6% demonstrated severe emotional distress, and 77.1% demonstrated depressive symptoms. In multivariate regression models, severe emotional distress was positively associated with the number of tsunami-related deaths among household members. Our data suggests a need for effective interventions in this vulnerable population.
Journal Article > ResearchAbstract
J Trauma Stress. 5 December 2011; Volume 24 (Issue 6); DOI:10.1002/jts.20694
de Jong K, van der Kam S, Swarthout TD, Ford NP, Mills C, et al.
J Trauma Stress. 5 December 2011; Volume 24 (Issue 6); DOI:10.1002/jts.20694
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, exposure to traumatic stressors, and health care utilization were examined in 84 women attending a primary health care clinic in Mogadishu, Somalia. The Somalia-Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale was used in this active warzone to measure symptoms. Nearly all women reported high levels of confrontations with violence; half described being exposed to a potentially traumatizing event. Nearly one third had significant PTSD symptoms. Compared to those who did not, women who reported exposure to a traumatic stressor reported more confrontations with violence (7.1 vs. 3.3; p < . 001), health complaints (3.8 vs. 2.9; p = .03), and nearly 3 times as much (p = .03) health service utilization. A potentially traumatizing event was found to be a simplified proxy for assessing mental health distress in women attending a primary health care facility in highly insecure, unpredictable, resource-limited settings.