A population-based study assessing posttraumatic stress disorder and acute stress disorder in Turkish adults

Purpose: This study investigated the prevalence and associated factors of traumatic experiences, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and acute stress disorder (ASD) in a sample of Turkish adults. Methods: The study was conducted in 30 family health centres in Konya Province, Turkey, which were selected by simple random sampling. The sample comprised 1587 people aged ≥18 years recruited by systematic sampling from neighbourhoods served by the centres. Socio-demographic data were collected, followed by face-to-face diagnostic interviews using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 (SCID-5) for PTSD. After the traumatic event exposure was examined according to SCID-5 traumatic event criteria, a separate clinical interview was conducted with DSM-5 diagnostic criteria to investigate ASD prevalence. Results: The lifetime prevalence of experiencing at least one traumatic event was 54.9 % in the whole sample. The lifetime PTSD prevalence was 2.6 % (conditional prevalence: 4.7 %). PTSD was correlated with female gender, young age, being separated/divorced/widowed, retirement status, comorbid psychiatric illness, and suicide attempt. The conditional risk of PTSD was highest in sexual violence events (rape, 18.7 %; other sexual assaults, 20.5 %), followed by torture (16.7 %) and sudden violent death (10.8 %). Interpersonal violence (36.6 %) and sexual violence (26.9 %) were the most common traumatic event groups among individuals who developed PTSD. The lifetime ASD prevalence was 4.4 % (conditional prevalence: 8 %). Among socio-demographic variables, ASD was associated only with female gender. Conclusion: The prevalence of traumatic experiences in Turkish adults indicates the need for support programmes aimed at rapid awareness and treatment to reduce chronicity, suicide and loss of function.