Prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder in Erbil, Kurdistan

Abstract EN

Background : Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a major player and contributor to psychiatric morbidity.

Kurdish people suffered major life traumas over three decades of wars and conflicts.

Objectives : To determine the prevalence of PTSD in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.

Method: We conducted a cross-sectional survey in Erbil in 2008.

Data were collected from 570 participants aged between 15 and 65 years.

Gender and age differences, type of trauma and any differences in the solitary trauma versus non-solitary exposure causation rate for PTSD were identified.

Results : The prevalence of PTSD was 39.6 % and the rate of exposure to trauma was 94.7 %.

Housewives showed a PTSD prevalence of 48.7 %, higher than that found in the study population.

Trauma due to road traffic accidents were reported by 72.3 % of the sample.

The rate of PTSD increased with age and with the number of traumas experienced by the individuals.

Conclusions: A high rate of trauma and PTSD were found, indicating that this is a widespread problem.

Services should be developed to address this problem