Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and associated common mental disorders among walk-in clinic patients in Trinidad: an exploratory cross-sectional study

ABSTRACT

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and associated common mental disorders among walk-in clinic patients in Trinidad an exploratory cross-sectional study. Objective: To determine the possible prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its commonly associated mental disorders among walk in clinic patients in Trinidad. Methods: A secondary analysis of data from a study of participants from 16 randomly selected public health centres which provide primary health care in Trinidad. Participants were screened using the PRIME-MD questionnaire. Participants were screened using the PRIME-MD questionnaire. Results: There were 594 participants, response rate 92 percent; 72.7 percent were female. Ages from 18-93, 54.5 percent were over 50 years; 37.2 percent were married and 25.9 percent single; Indo-Trinidadians made up 43.1 percent, Afro-Trinidadians, 36 percent; 56.5 percent reported incomes of less than USD $400/month, and 65.7 percent were unemployed. Fifty-seven (9.6 percent) (95 percent CI 6.7-12.5) of participants were designated as having PTSD, being "bothered a lot" in the last 4 weeks by "thinking or dreaming about something terrible that happened to them in the past". Older participants were less likely to have PTSD, with 8 percent of those over 50 years being positive versus 11.5 percent of younger patients. Females (10.4 percent) and Indo (13.3 percent) were more represented than males (7.4 percent) and Afro-Trinidadians (7.5 percent). Statistically significant associations (p<0.05) were between PTSD and depression, somatization, anxiety, panic, and hypochondriasis. Logistic regression suggests that the only predictor of PTSD was ethnicity, with Indo-Trinidadians more like to report PTSD than other ethnic groups (p=0.005). Conclusions: This exploratory study of PTSD suggests that walk-in clinics in Trinidad serving older, lower income patients, on screening have high proportions of patients with PTSD. More rigorous studies should be carried out to confirm these preliminary findings.