Post traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety among family medicine residents after 1992-95 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
BACKGROUND The traumatic events experienced in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the 1992-1995 conflict may have a lasting effect on the mental health of the citizens, characterized by high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety. A diagnosis of PTSD, depression, and anxiety among family physician residents could affect their ability to diagnose and treat patients for depression, anxiety and PTSD. OBJECTIVES To assess PTSD, depression and anxiety symptoms and prevalence amongst family medicine residents (FMR) who were general practitioners (GP) in different war engagements and compare them with FMR who were medical students, 9 years after the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia-Herzegovina (BH). SUBJECTS AND METHODS We applied the Bosnia-Herzegovina versions of both the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ) for PTSD symptoms, and Hopkins Symptom Checklist - 25 (HSCL-25) for anxiety and depression symptoms to 78 residents (age 30-45 years, 84.6% females), who lived in BH during the conflict years. RESULTS PTSD prevalence of 10.3% and depression and anxiety prevalence of 21.8%, was found. The anxiety symptoms score was significantly higher amongst FMR who were GPs (1.69+/-0.66) than medical students (1.40+/-0.41, t-test=2.219, P=0.029) during the war.