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Posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms among trauma-exposed adolescents from low- and middle-income countries.

Authors :
Stupar, Dusko
Stevanovic, Dejan
Vostanis, Panos
Atilola, Olayinka
Moreira, Paulo
Dodig-Curkovic, Katarina
Franic, Tomislav
Doric, Ana
Davidovic, Nikolina
Avicenna, Mohamad
Multazam, Isa Noor
Nussbaum, Laura
Thabet, Abdul Aziz
Ubalde, Dino
Petrov, Petar
Deljkovic, Azra
Monteiro, Antonio Luis
Ribas, Adriana
Jovanovic, Mirjana
Joana, Oliveira
Source :
Child & Adolescent Psychiatry & Mental Health. 6/5/2021, Vol. 15 Issue 1, p1-10. 10p.
Publication Year :
2021

Abstract

Background: Exposure to traumatic events in childhood is associated with the development and maintenance of various psychiatric disorders, but most frequently with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The aim of this study was to evaluate the types of traumatic events experienced and the presence and predictors of PTSD symptoms among adolescents from the general population from ten low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Methods: Data were simultaneously collected from 3370 trauma-exposed adolescents (mean age = 15.41 [SD = 1.65] years, range 12–18; 1465 (43.5%) males and 1905 (56.5%) females) in Brazil, Bulgaria, Croatia, Indonesia, Montenegro, Nigeria, the Palestinian Territories, the Philippines, Romania, and Serbia, with Portugal, a high-income country, as a reference point. The UCLA PTSD Reaction Index for the DSM-5 (PTSD-RI-5) was used for the assessment of traumatic events and PTSD symptoms. Results: The most frequently reported traumatic events were death of a close person (69.7%), witnessing violence other than domestic (40.5%), being in a natural disaster (34.4%) and witnessing violent death or serious injury of a close person (33.9%). In total, 28.5% adolescents endorsed two to three DSM-5 PTSD criteria symptoms. The rates of adolescents with symptoms from all four DSM-5 criteria for PTSD were 6.2–8.1% in Indonesia, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Montenegro, and 9.2–10.5% in Philippines, Croatia and Brazil. From Portugal, 10.7% adolescents fall into this category, while 13.2% and 15.3% for the Palestinian Territories and Nigeria, respectively. A logistic regression model showed that younger age, experiencing war, being forced to have sex, and greater severity of symptoms (persistent avoidance, negative alterations in cognitions and mood, and alterations in arousal and reactivity) were significant predictors of fulfilling full PTSD criteria. Conclusions: Nearly every third adolescent living in LMICs might have some PTSD symptoms after experiencing a traumatic event, while nearly one in ten might have sufficient symptoms for full DSM-5 PTSD diagnosis. The findings can inform the generation of PTSD burden estimates, allocation of health resources, and designing and implementing psychosocial interventions for PTSD in LMICs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
17532000
Volume :
15
Issue :
1
Database :
Academic Search Index
Journal :
Child & Adolescent Psychiatry & Mental Health
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
150714128
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13034-021-00378-2