Acculturation, psychiatric comorbidity and posttraumatic stress disorder in a Taiwanese aboriginal population

• Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology Vol. 44; no. 1; pp. 55 - 62
• Main Authors: Lee, Chau-Shoun, Chang, Jung-Chen, Liu, Chia-Yih, Chang, Ching-Jui, Chen, Tony H. H., Chen, Chien-Hsiun, Cheng, Andrew T. A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht D. Steinkopff-Verlag 01.01.2009; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Acculturation; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Anxiety disorders. Neuroses; Asian Continental Ancestry Group - psychology; Biological and medical sciences; Comorbidity; Diagnosis, Dual (Psychiatry); Disasters; Earthquakes; Epidemiology; Female; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mental disorders; Mental health; Middle Aged; Multivariate Analysis; Native peoples; Original Paper; Post traumatic stress disorder; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Risk Factors; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - diagnosis; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - epidemiology; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - psychology; Substance-Related Disorders - epidemiology; Taiwan - epidemiology; Trauma; Asia; Taiwan; PTSD; earthquake; acculturation; psychiatric comorbidity; Social environment; Human; Anxiety disorder; Mental health; Posttraumatic stress disorder; Ethnic group; Stress; Concomitant disease; Acculturation; Sociodemographic factor; Earthquakes; Risk factor; Aboriginal; Mental disorder; Public health
• ISSN: 0933-7954; 1433-9285
• DOI: 10.1007/s00127-008-0405-2

Background This study investigates acculturation and other antecedent psychiatric and socio-environmental risk factors for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in one aboriginal group (the Bunun) exposed to an earthquake disaster in Taiwan. Method Respondents ( n  = 196) were assessed 5 months after the disaster, using a Chinese version of the Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry and the Taiwan Aboriginal Acculturation Scale. Result Four risk factors exerted independent effect on the risk of PTSD, including magnitude of the earthquake, subsequent traumas, antecedent major depressive disorder and acculturation status. Conclusion Public mental health programs need to consider the liability to PTSD in populations with different ethnicity and socio-cultural environments.