title: Prevalence and predictors for post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and general health in a population from six villages in South Lebanon.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the prevalence and predictors of psychiatric disorders in a general population from South Lebanon, an area that was under military occupation for more than 20 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study assessed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression thresholds along with general health (GHQ) among 625 citizens in six villages in South Lebanon using a cross-sectional design through random sampling.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence ranged from 17.6 to 33.3% for PTSD and from 9.2 to 19.7% for depression. GHQ total score was found to be 6.7 significantly greater than the internationally established mean score of 5.0. Social support, financial resources, gender, and war exposure were significantly related to PTSD and depression thresholds.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results strongly suggest that the general population in South Lebanon suffer from mental health disorders calling for appropriate psychiatric interventions and development planning.
authors: Psychiatry-Mental Health Nursing, Hariri School of Nursing, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon. lf00@aub.edu.lb
authors: Laila F
authors: LF
authors: Farhood
authors: Hani
authors: H
authors: Dimassi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D007861:Lebanon / Q000453:epidemiology; D008016:Life Change Events; D008019:Life Style / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D015995:Prevalence; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012737:Sex Factors; D012923:Social Class; D012944:Social Support; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014857:Warfare