Title |
Civilians in World War II and DSM-IV mental disorders: results from the World Mental Health Survey Initiative
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Published in |
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, November 2017
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DOI | 10.1007/s00127-017-1452-3 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Rochelle Frounfelker, Stephen E. Gilman, Theresa S. Betancourt, Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola, Jordi Alonso, Evelyn J. Bromet, Ronny Bruffaerts, Giovanni de Girolamo, Semyon Gluzman, Oye Gureje, Elie G. Karam, Sing Lee, Jean-Pierre Lépine, Yutaka Ono, Beth-Ellen Pennell, Daniela G. Popovici, Margreet ten Have, Ronald C. Kessler, On behalf of the WHO World Mental Health Survey Collaborators |
Abstract |
Understanding the effects of war on mental disorders is important for developing effective post-conflict recovery policies and programs. The current study uses cross-sectional, retrospectively reported data collected as part of the World Mental Health (WMH) Survey Initiative to examine the associations of being a civilian in a war zone/region of terror in World War II with a range of DSM-IV mental disorders. Adults (n = 3370) who lived in countries directly involved in World War II in Europe and Japan were administered structured diagnostic interviews of lifetime DSM-IV mental disorders. The associations of war-related traumas with subsequent disorder onset-persistence were assessed with discrete-time survival analysis (lifetime prevalence) and conditional logistic regression (12-month prevalence). Respondents who were civilians in a war zone/region of terror had higher lifetime risks than other respondents of major depressive disorder (MDD; OR 1.5, 95% CI 1.1, 1.9) and anxiety disorder (OR 1.5, 95% CI 1.1, 2.0). The association of war exposure with MDD was strongest in the early years after the war, whereas the association with anxiety disorders increased over time. Among lifetime cases, war exposure was associated with lower past year risk of anxiety disorders (OR 0.4, 95% CI 0.2, 0.7). Exposure to war in World War II was associated with higher lifetime risk of some mental disorders. Whether comparable patterns will be found among civilians living through more recent wars remains to be seen, but should be recognized as a possibility by those projecting future needs for treatment of mental disorders. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
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Australia | 1 | 25% |
Unknown | 3 | 75% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
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Members of the public | 4 | 100% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Unknown | 146 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Researcher | 20 | 14% |
Professor | 14 | 10% |
Student > Bachelor | 14 | 10% |
Student > Ph. D. Student | 11 | 8% |
Student > Master | 11 | 8% |
Other | 31 | 21% |
Unknown | 45 | 31% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Medicine and Dentistry | 27 | 18% |
Psychology | 27 | 18% |
Social Sciences | 9 | 6% |
Nursing and Health Professions | 7 | 5% |
Neuroscience | 6 | 4% |
Other | 16 | 11% |
Unknown | 54 | 37% |