Traumatic life events and posttraumatic stress disorder among Mexican adolescents: results from a survey.
OBJECTIVE
To estimate the prevalence and the association of Traumatic Life Events (LEs) and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) adolescent population.


METHODS
Adolescents aged 12 to 17 were administered the adolescent version of the World Mental Health Composite International Diagnostic Interview (n=3 005). Data were collected using a stratified, multistage and probability sample. Prevalence, odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for LEs and PTSD (assessed with DSM-IV criteria) were obtained.


RESULTS
The percentage of adolescents reporting at least one traumatic event in their lifetimes was 68.9%, with differences by sex. Prevalence for PTSD were 1.8% (2.4% females and 1.2% males), and sexual-related traumas were the LEs most associated with PTSD [OR=3.9 (CI95%=1.8-8.2)], adjusted by sex, education and age.


CONCLUSIONS
Exposure to traumatic life events is not uncommon among Mexico City adolescents. Effort should be made to reduce child and adolescent sexual abuse, a very traumatic event highly associated with PTSD.
Orozco
Ricardo
R
Ministry of Health, Mexico City, Mexico. ric_oz@imp.edu.mx
Borges
Guilherme
G
Benjet
Corina
C
Medina-Mora
María Elena
ME
López-Carrillo
Lizbeth
L
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population