title: The utilization and perceived usefulness of health care and other support services by people exposed to traumatic events related to the war in the Balkans.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore which health care and other support services people exposed to traumatic events related to the war use, how helpful they perceive them in the course of their post-war adaptation and whether utilization and perceived usefulness depend on the mental health status of participants.
  
  
  METHODS
  A community sample of 3304 adults exposed to at least one war-related traumatic event was randomly selected in different regions in the former Yugoslavia. A specifically designed instrument, the Matrix for the Assessment of Community and Healthcare Services, was used to record service utilization and their perceived usefulness. The mental health status of participants was assessed using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Primary health care was the most frequently used type of service (80.5%). Services providing help with leisure activities, social support and social contacts were perceived as most helpful. Participants with current post-traumatic stress disorder used all types of health care services and employment support services significantly more often than participants without mental disorders and participants with other mental disorders. They were more satisfied with primary health care services than participants without mental disorders and less satisfied with financial and material support services as compared to participants with other mental disorders.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The frequency of utilization of different types of services varies greatly in war affected communities. Medical services are widely used and therefore have a central role in the care provision following a war. Services providing help with leisure activities and social support are most appreciated and may be more widely established.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Croatia.
authors.forename: Tanja
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Frančišković
authors.forename: Zoran
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Šuković
authors.forename: Zdravko
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Tovilović
authors.forename: Dean
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ajduković
authors.forename: Marija
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bogić
authors.forename: Abdulah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kučukalić
authors.forename: Dušica
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lečić-Tosevski
authors.forename: Nexhmedin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Morina
authors.forename: Mihajlo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Popovski
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Priebe
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D063368:Balkan Peninsula; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D007899:Leisure Activities / Q000523:psychology; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012944:Social Support; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D014857:Warfare; D015022:Yugoslavia