Post-traumatic stress disorder among family physicians in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract

One hundred and thirty-three (90.5%) of the 147 physicians who were available to be surveyed completed the questionnaire. Of the 88% who had a traumatic experience during the war, 18% met the criteria for PTSD. The likelihood of meeting the criteria for PTSD was not affected by age, sex or whether the physician had worked in a field hospital during the war. However, a positive response to the question "Do you think the traumatic event you experienced during the war still affects you today?" was highly associated with the diagnosis of PTSD (odds ratio 7.26, 95% confidence interval: 1.57-33.60). Also, this question was shown to have a high degree of sensitivity and negative predictive value, and may be of use as a screening tool for ruling out the presence of PTSD after a traumatic war experience.