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<p><span style="font-size: 14.000000pt; font-family: 'Helvetica'; font-weight: 700">Trauma exposure, PTSD and psychotic-like symptoms in post-conflict Timor
Leste: an epidemiological survey
</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12.000000pt; font-family: 'Helvetica'; font-style: oblique">BMC Psychiatry </span><span style="font-size: 12.000000pt; font-family: 'Helvetica'">2012, </span><span style="font-size: 12.000000pt; font-family: 'Helvetica'; font-weight: 700">12:229 </span><span style="font-size: 12.000000pt; font-family: 'Helvetica'">doi:10.1186/1471-244X-12-229 </span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12.000000pt; font-family: 'Helvetica'"><br /></span></p><p>
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<p><span style="font-size: 12.000000pt; font-family: 'Helvetica'">Ian Soosay (i.soosay@auckland.ac.nz)
</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12.000000pt; font-family: 'Helvetica'">Derrick Silove (d.silove@unsw.edu.au) </span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12.000000pt; font-family: 'Helvetica'">Catherine Bateman-Steel (c.bateman-steel@unsw.edu.au) </span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12.000000pt; font-family: 'Helvetica'">Zachary Steel (z.steel@unsw.edu.au)<br />
Paul Bebbington (rejupbe@ucl.ac.uk)<br />
Peter B Jones (pbj21@cam.ac.uk)<br />
Tien Chey (t.chey@unsw.edu.au)<br />
Lorraine Ivancic (l.ivancic@unsw.edu.au)<br />
Claire Marnane (c.marnane@unsw.edu.au) </span></p>
</div></p><p><span style="font-size: 12.000000pt; font-family: 'Helvetica'"><br /></span></p><p>
<span style="font-size: 12.000000pt; font-family: 'Helvetica'; color: rgb(0.000000%, 0.000000%, 100.000000%)">http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-244X/12/229</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12.000000pt; font-family: 'Helvetica'; color: rgb(0.000000%, 0.000000%, 100.000000%)"><br /></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size: 18pt; font-weight: 700; ">Abstract
</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 700; ">Background
</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt; ">Studies in developed countries indicate that psychotic-like symptoms are prevalent in the
community and are related to trauma exposure and PTSD. No comparable studies have been
undertaken in low-income, post-conflict countries. This study aimed to assess the prevalence
of psychotic-like symptoms in conflict-affected Timor Leste and to examine whether
symptoms were associated with trauma and PTSD.
</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 700; ">Methods
</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt; ">The Psychosis Screening Questionnaire and the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (assessing
trauma exposure and PTSD) were administered in an epidemiological survey of 1245 adults
(response rate 80.6%) in a rural and an urban setting in Timor Leste. We defined PSQ screen-
positive cases as those people reporting at least one psychotic-like symptom (paranoia,
hallucinations, strange experiences, thought interference, hypomania).
</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 700; ">Results
</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt; ">The prevalence of PSQ screen-positive cases was 12 percent and these persons were more
disabled. PSQ cases were more likely to reside in the urban area, experienced higher levels of
trauma exposure and a greater prevalence of PTSD. PTSD only partially mediated the
relationship between trauma exposure and psychotic-like symptoms.
</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 700; ">Conclusions
</span></p>
</div><p><span style="font-size: 12pt; ">Psychotic-like symptoms may be prevalent in countries exposed to mass conflict. The
cultural and contextual meaning of psychotic-like symptoms requires further inquiry in low-
income, post-conflict settings such as Timor Leste.</span><span style="font-size: 12.000000pt; font-family: 'Helvetica'; color: rgb(0.000000%, 0.000000%, 100.000000%)"> </span></p>
</div><br />--<br signature="separator" /><div>Dr Bu V.E. Wilson</div><div><br /></div><div>T: Vanuatu +678 598 2646 (mobile); +678 22626 (landline)</div><div>T: Australia +61 (0) 407 087 086</div><div>T: Timor-Leste +670 770 22887</div><div>E: buvewilson@gmail.com</div>