Posttraumatic stress disorder associated with unexpected death of a loved one: Cross-national findings from the world mental health surveys.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Unexpected death of a loved one (UD) is the most commonly reported traumatic experience in cross-national surveys. However, much remains to be learned about posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after this experience. The WHO World Mental Health (WMH) survey initiative provides a unique opportunity to address these issues.

Methods

Data from 19 WMH surveys (n = 78,023; 70.1% weighted response rate) were collated. Potential predictors of PTSD (respondent sociodemographics, characteristics of the death, history of prior trauma exposure, history of prior mental disorders) after a representative sample of UDs were examined using logistic regression. Simulation was used to estimate overall model strength in targeting individuals at highest PTSD risk.

Results

PTSD

SUBMITTER: Atwoli L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5661943 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature