TRAUMATIC EVENTS AND PREDICTIVE FACTORS FOR POSTTRAUMATIC SYMPTOMS INDISPLACED BOSNIAN WOMEN IN A WAR ZONE

A study was conducted among 209 displaced women attending a Women's Ce nter in a war zone in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1994. Information on war-r elated traumatic events, sociodemographic factors and posttraumatic sy mptomatology was collected by means of a questionnaire. Post-traumatic symptoms were registered by using a 10-item Posttraumatic Symptom Sca le (PTSS-10). Women with six or move symptoms were classified as a ''p osttraumatic symptom case'' (PTS-case). Among women who had survived t he most severe traumas (concentration camps or other kinds of detentio n) the proportion of PTS-cases was highest: 71% compared to 47% of the women without this kind of traumatic background. High numbers of trau mas, having children, being over 25 years of age, and the reporting of an absent husband, were characteristics associated with being a PTS-c ase. In the multivariate analysis, severe trauma and reporting of an a bsent husband remained significantly associated with PTS-cases. Clinic al implications were discussed.