Acculturation, psychiatric comorbidity and posttraumatic stress disorder in a Taiwanese aboriginal population.
BACKGROUND
This study investigates acculturation and other antecedent psychiatric and socio-environmental risk factors for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in one aboriginal group (the Bunun) exposed to an earthquake disaster in Taiwan.


METHODS
Respondents (n = 196) were assessed 5 months after the disaster, using a Chinese version of the Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry and the Taiwan Aboriginal Acculturation Scale.


RESULTS
Four risk factors exerted independent effect on the risk of PTSD, including magnitude of the earthquake, subsequent traumas, antecedent major depressive disorder and acculturation status.


CONCLUSIONS
Public mental health programs need to consider the liability to PTSD in populations with different ethnicity and socio-cultural environments.
Lee
Chau-Shoun
CS
Department of Psychiatry, Lo-Tung Poh-Ai Hospital, Yilan, Taiwan.
Chang
Jung-Chen
JC
Liu
Chia-Yih
CY
Chang
Ching-Jui
CJ
Chen
Tony H H
TH
Chen
Chien-Hsiun
CH
Cheng
Andrew T A
AT
D000069:Acculturation; D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People / Q000523:psychology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D017831:Diagnosis, Dual (Psychiatry); D004190:Disasters; D055866:Earthquakes; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012307:Risk Factors; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology