Partial and full PTSD in Brazilian ambulance workers: Prevalence and impact on health and on quality of life
William Berger
Institute of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (IPUB–UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Search for more papers by this authorIvan Figueira
Institute of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (IPUB–UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Search for more papers by this authorAna Maria Maurat
Institute of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (IPUB–UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Search for more papers by this authorÉrika P. Bucassio
Institute of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (IPUB–UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Search for more papers by this authorIsabela Vieira
Institute of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (IPUB–UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Search for more papers by this authorSílvia R. Jardim
Institute of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (IPUB–UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Search for more papers by this authorEvandro S. F. Coutinho
Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública (ENSP–FIOCRUZ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Search for more papers by this authorJair J. Mari
Department of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology of the São Paulo Medical School, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (EPM–UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Mauro V. Mendlowicz
Institute of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (IPUB–UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Universidade Federal Fluminense (MSM–UFF), Niterói, Brazil
Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Universidade Federal Fluminense (MSM–UFF), Rua Tiradentes, 171 bloco 2 apartamento 903, Niterói, RJ 24210-510, BrazilSearch for more papers by this authorWilliam Berger
Institute of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (IPUB–UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Search for more papers by this authorIvan Figueira
Institute of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (IPUB–UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Search for more papers by this authorAna Maria Maurat
Institute of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (IPUB–UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Search for more papers by this authorÉrika P. Bucassio
Institute of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (IPUB–UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Search for more papers by this authorIsabela Vieira
Institute of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (IPUB–UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Search for more papers by this authorSílvia R. Jardim
Institute of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (IPUB–UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Search for more papers by this authorEvandro S. F. Coutinho
Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública (ENSP–FIOCRUZ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Search for more papers by this authorJair J. Mari
Department of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology of the São Paulo Medical School, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (EPM–UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Mauro V. Mendlowicz
Institute of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (IPUB–UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Universidade Federal Fluminense (MSM–UFF), Niterói, Brazil
Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Universidade Federal Fluminense (MSM–UFF), Rua Tiradentes, 171 bloco 2 apartamento 903, Niterói, RJ 24210-510, BrazilSearch for more papers by this authorAbstract
A cross-sectional survey for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was conducted with 234 Brazilian ambulance workers (180 men and 54 women) using a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist–Civilian Version, and the Short Form Health Survey-36. Current prevalence rates for full and partial PTSD were 5.6% (men = 6.7%, women = 1.9%) and 15% (men = 13.3%, women = 20.4%), respectively. Male workers with full PTSD were more likely to be nonmarried (75% vs. 43%) and those with partial PTSD reported more emotional problems (65.2% vs. 30%) and medical visits (67% vs. 44%) than the controls. Workers with PTSD showed impairment in the physical and mental domains of the SF-36, whereas workers with partial PTSD had only the later compromised. The characteristics and the level of exposure to trauma of the study population may account for the low prevalence of PTSD.
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