Assessing Mental Health Outcomes of Political Violence and Civil Unrest in Peru

Jacques Tremblay, Duncan Pedersen and Consuelo Errazuriz
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Jacques Tremblay: Department of Psychiatry and Douglas Institute Research Center, McGill University, Montreal, Canada, trejac@douglas.mcgill.ca
Duncan Pedersen: Department of Psychiatry and Douglas Institute Research Center, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
Consuelo Errazuriz: Douglas Institute Research Center, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 2009, vol. 55, issue 5, 449-463

Abstract: Background: Sustained political violence (SPV) may have long-term effects. Aims: To assess mental and residual effects of exposure to SPV. To validate a post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) assessment tool in Quechua-speaking Peru. Method: Survey of 373 individuals aged 15 and over using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL-25) and a Trauma Questionnaire (TQ), derived from the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire. Sociodemographics were recorded. Reliability was assessed. Data reduction used factor analysis and modelling multiple regressions. Results: A quarter of the sample had symptoms compatible with PTSD. Questionnaire reliability ranged from 0.81 to 0.89. Factor analysis confirmed high construct validity for TQ and HSCL-25. Modelling showed a strong association of PTSD-related symptoms and expressions of distress with the degree of exposure to SPV, especially among returnees. Conclusions: Long-term consequences of exposure to SPV take the form of PTSD, anxiety and depressive disorders, and culturally formulated expressions of distress. Some implications for clinicians are discussed.

Keywords: local idioms of distress; long-term consequences; political violence; post-traumatic stress disorder (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2009
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:socpsy:v:55:y:2009:i:5:p:449-463

DOI: 10.1177/0020764009103214

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