title: Long-term mental health outcome in post-conflict settings: Similarities and differences between Kosovo and Rwanda.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Few studies investigated the long-term mental health outcome in culturally different post-conflict settings. This study considers two surveys conducted in Kosovo 8 years after the Balkans war and in Rwanda 14 years after the genocide.
  
  
  METHODS
  All participants (n = 864 in Kosovo; n = 962 in Rwanda) were interviewed using the posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive episode (MDE) sections of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) and the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Proportions of participants who met diagnostic criteria for either PTSD or MDE were 33.0% in Kosovo and 31.0% in Rwanda, with co-occurrence of both disorders in 17.8% of the Rwandan sample and 9.5% of the Kosovan sample. Among patients with PTSD, patterns of symptoms significantly differed in the two settings, with avoidance and inability to recall less frequent and sense of a foreshortened future and increased startle response more common in Rwanda. Significant differences were also observed in patients with MDE, with loss of energy and difficulties concentrating less frequent and suicidal ideation more common in Rwanda. Comorbid PTSD and MDE were associated with decreased SF-36 subjective mental and physical health scores in both settings, but significantly larger effects in Kosovo than in Rwanda.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Culturally different civilian populations exposed to mass trauma may differ with respect to their long-term mental health outcome, including comorbidity, symptom profile and health perception.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Health and Psychiatry, University Hospitals of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland Ariel.Eytan@hcuge.ch.
authors.forename: Ariel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Eytan
authors.affiliation: Psychosocial Consultation Centre, Kigali, Rwanda.
authors.forename: Naasson
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Munyandamutsa
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Health and Psychiatry, University Hospitals of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Paul Mahoro
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Nkubamugisha
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Health and Psychiatry, University Hospitals of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Marianne
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gex-Fabry
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D063365:Genocide / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D063826:Kosovo / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012432:Rwanda / Q000453:epidemiology; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D059020:Suicidal Ideation; D014857:Warfare; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Kosovo; Posttraumatic stress disorder; Rwanda; depression; perceived health; war