Citation

Bodvarsdottir I, Elklit A. BMC Psychiatry 2007; 7(1): 51.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group - BMC)

DOI

10.1186/1471-244X-7-51

PMID

17908296

PMCID

PMC2174462

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Although adolescence in many cases is a period of rebellion and experimentation with new behaviors and roles, the exposure of adolescents to lifethreatening and violent events has rarely been investigated in national probability studies using a broad range of events. Methods: In an Icelandic national representative sample of 206 9th-grade students (mean = 14.5 years), the prevalence of 20 potential traumatic events and negative life events was reported, along with the psychological impact of these events. RESULTS: Seventy-four percent of the girls and 79 percent of the boys were exposed to at least one event. The most common events were the death of a family member, threat of violence, and traffic accidents. The estimated lifetime prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder-like states (PTSD; DSM-IV, APA, 1997) was 16 percent, whereas another 12 percent reached a sub-clinical level of PTSD-like states (missing the full diagnosis with one symptom). Following exposure, girls suffered from PTSD-like states almost twice as often as boys. Gender, mothers' education, and single-parenthood were associated with specific events. The odds ratios and 95% CI for PTSD-like states given a specific event is reported. Being exposed to multiple traumatic events was associated with an increase in PTSD-like states. CONCLUSION: The findings indicate substantial mental health problems in adolescents that are associated with various types of potentially traumatic exposure.

Language: en