Epidemiology of trauma, post-traumatic stress
disorder (PTSD) and co-morbid disorders in Chile
CARON ZLOTNICK 1*, JENNIFER JOHNSON 2, ROBERT KOHN 1,
BENJAMIN VICENTE 3, PEDRO RIOSECO 3 AND SANDRA SALDIVIA 3
1 Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown Medical School and Butler Hospital, Providence,
RI, USA ; 2 Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown Medical School, Providence, RI, USA ;
3 Universidad de Concepcion, Departamento de Psiquiatria y Salud Mental, Concepcion, Chile
ABSTRACT
Background. In this study we examined the prevalence rates of post-traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD), types of trauma most often associated with PTSD, the co-morbidity of PTSD with other
lifetime psychiatric disorders, which disorders preceded PTSD, and gender differences in PTSD and
trauma exposure in a representative sample of Chileans.
Method. The DSM-III-R PTSD and antisocial personality disorder modules from the Diagnostic
Interview Schedule (DIS) and modules for a range of DSM-III-R diagnoses from the Composite
International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) were administered to a representative sample of 2390
persons aged 15 to over 64 years in three cities in Chile.
Results. The lifetime prevalence of PTSD was 4.4% (2.5% for men and 6.2% for women). Among
persons exposed to trauma, rape was most strongly associated with PTSD. Onset of PTSD signifi-
cantly increased the risk of developing each of the 10 other tested disorders. Among those exposed
to trauma, women were significantly more likely to develop PTSD, after controlling for assaultive
violence.
Conclusions. This study highlights the importance of investigating the prevalence of PTSD, patterns
of co-morbidity of PTSD, and gender differences in PTSD in non-English-speaking countries.
INTRODUCTION
In the past decade, our understanding of post-
traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has progressed
from studies of war veterans and specific disaster
victims to studies that have examined the epi-
demiology of PTSD in the USA. Despite differ-
ences in methodology, conse