Citation

Nelson BD, Fernandez WG, Galea S, Sisco S, Dierberg K, Gorgieva GS, Nandi AK, Ahern J, Mitrović M, VanRooyen M, Vlahov D. BMC Med. 2004; 2: 22.

Affiliation

Center for International Emergency, Disaster and Refugee Studies, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. bnelso1@jhmi.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2004, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group - BMC)

DOI

10.1186/1741-7015-2-22

PMID

15171785

PMCID

PMC425605

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Residents of the Republic of Serbia faced civil war and a NATO-led bombing campaign in 1999. We sought to assess the burden of metal health dysfunction among emergency department (ED) patients presenting for care three years post-war in Serbia. METHODS: This study was conducted during July and August 2002 at two sites: a university hospital ED in Belgrade, Serbia and an ED in a remote district hospital serving a Serbian enclave in Laplje Selo, Kosovo. Investigators collected data on a systematic sample of non-acute patients presenting to the ED. All respondents completed a structured questionnaire assessing demographics and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (using the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire), and major depression (using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale). RESULTS: A total of 562 respondents participated (310 in Belgrade, 252 in Laplje Selo); the response rate was 83.8%, 43% were female, and mean age was 37.6 years (SD = 13.4). Overall, 73 (13.0%) participants had symptoms consistent with PTSD, and 272 (49.2%) had symptoms consistent with depression. Sixty-six respondents had both disorders (11.9%). In separate multivariable logistic regression models, predictors of PTSD were refugee status and residence in Laplje Selo, and predictors of depression were older age, current unemployment, and lower social support. CONCLUSIONS: Three years post-war, symptoms of PTSD and major depression in Serbia remained a significant public health concern, particularly among refugees, those suffering subsequent economic instability, and persons living in rural, remote areas.

Language: en