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Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 3/2014

01-03-2014 | Original Paper

Traumatic events and their relative PTSD burden in Northern Ireland: a consideration of the impact of the ‘Troubles’

Authors: Finola Ferry, Brendan Bunting, Samuel Murphy, Siobhan O’Neill, Dan Stein, Karestan Koenen

Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology | Issue 3/2014

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Abstract

Purpose

Over a 30-year period in its recent history, daily life in Northern Ireland (NI) was characterised by civil violence, colloquially termed as the ‘Troubles’. The current report examines exposure to 29 traumatic event types and the associated conditional prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among the Northern Ireland population, with a focus on the impact of traumatic events that were characteristic of the NI ‘Troubles’.

Method

Results presented are based on analysis of data from the Northern Ireland Study of Health and Stress (NISHS). The NISHS is a representative epidemiological study of mental health among the NI adult population (N = 4,340) and part of the World Mental Health Survey Initiative.

Results

Perpetration of violence, physical assault by a spouse or partner and private events were the event types associated with the highest conditional prevalence of PTSD. Despite this elevated risk, collectively these events accounted for just 16.8 % of the overall public burden of PTSD, given their low prevalence among the general population. Events that were characteristic of civil conflict, including unexpected death of a loved one, witnessing death or a dead body or someone seriously injured and being mugged or threatened with a weapon accounted for the highest proportion of the overall public health burden of PTSD (18.6, 9.4 and 7.8 %, respectively). These findings are a feature of the higher prevalence of these events among the general population coupled with their moderate to above average risk of PTSD.

Conclusions

Despite the formal end to conflict in NI in 1999, a substantial proportion of the adult population continue to suffer the adverse mental health effects of chronic trauma exposure. Given rates of recovery of PTSD in the absence of evidence-based treatments, it is likely that the legacy of mental ill health associated with conflict, if not adequately addressed, will endure for many years.
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Metadata
Title
Traumatic events and their relative PTSD burden in Northern Ireland: a consideration of the impact of the ‘Troubles’
Authors
Finola Ferry
Brendan Bunting
Samuel Murphy
Siobhan O’Neill
Dan Stein
Karestan Koenen
Publication date
01-03-2014
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology / Issue 3/2014
Print ISSN: 0933-7954
Electronic ISSN: 1433-9285
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-013-0757-0

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