Psychiatric heredity and posttraumatic stress disorder: survey study of war veterans.
OBJECTIVE
To explore the prevalence of psychiatric heredity (family history of psychiatric illness, alcohol dependence disorder, and suicidality) and its association with the diagnosis of stress-related disorders in Croatian war veterans established during psychiatric examination.


METHODS
The study included 415 war veterans who were psychiatrically assessed and diagnosed by the same psychiatrist during an expert examination conducted for the purposes of compensation seeking. Data were collected by a structured diagnostic procedure.


RESULTS
There was no significant correlation between psychiatric heredity of psychiatric illness, alcohol dependence, or suicidality and diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or PTSD with psychiatric comorbidity. Diagnoses of psychosis or psychosis with comorbidity significantly correlated with psychiatric heredity (Phi=0.111; P=0.023). There was a statistically significant correlation between maternal psychiatric illness and the patients' diagnoses of partial PTSD or partial PTSD with comorbidity (Phi=0.104; P=0.035) and psychosis or psychosis with comorbidity (Phi=0.113; P=0.022); paternal psychiatric illness and the patients' diagnoses of psychosis or psychosis with comorbidity (Phi=0.130; P=0.008), alcohol dependence or alcohol dependence with comorbidity (Phi=0.166; P=0.001); psychiatric illness in the primary family with the patients' psychosis or psychosis with comorbidity (Phi=0.115; P=0.019); alcohol dependence in the primary family with the patients' personality disorder or personality disorder with comorbidity (Phi=0.099; P=0.044); and suicidality in the primary family and a diagnosis of personality disorder or personality disorder with comorbidity (Phi=0.128; P=0.009).


CONCLUSIONS
The study confirmed that parental and familial positive history of psychiatric disorders puts the individual at higher risk for developing psychiatric illness or alcohol or drug dependence disorder. Psychiatric heredity might not be necessary for the individual who was exposed to severe combat-related events to develop symptoms of PTSD.
Dijanić Plasć
Ivana
I
Department of Psychiatry, The Referral Center of the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare for Stress-related Disorders, Regional Center for Psychotrauma, University Hospital Dubrava, Zagreb, Croatia.
Peraica
Tina
T
Grubisić-Ilić
Mirjana
M
Rak
Davor
D
Jambrosić Sakoman
Andrea
A
Kozarić-Kovacić
Dragica
D
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015984:Causality; D015897:Comorbidity; D017523:Croatia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics*