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Victoria A. Brower, BA and Jane M. Liebschutz, MD, MPH. Section of General Internal Medicine Research Unit, Boston University School of Medicine, 91 East Concord Street, Suite 200, Boston, MA 02118, 617-414-6938, tbrower@bu.edu
Objective: This study describes the number and type of traumatic events experienced by primary care patients in a largely minority urban hospital setting. Methods: Interviewers consecutively approached patients in primary care clinics, screened them for eligibility, (English-speaking, age 18 - 65, and with a scheduled appointment) obtained informed consent and administered a validated interview questionnaire including demographic information, and the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) PTSD module. The research team together determined whether open-ended responses qualified as traumatic per DSM-IV criteria (sudden, violent, and unexpected). A lifetime history of Intimate Partner Violence was measured by 4 previously validated questions: no IPV (0/4 positive responses), possible IPV (1-3), or probable IPV (4/4). Results: Subjects (n=215) responded to 9 specific traumatic events of which, 41% witnessed someone being badly injured or killed, 39% were physically assaulted, 33% were threatened with a weapon, 30% experienced a life threatening accident, 22% were sexually molested, 20% experienced a natural disaster, 13% were raped, 4% were tortured, and 3% experienced direct combat. Thirty-three percent had suffered a great shock because one of the above events happened to someone close to them and 24% experienced a traumatic event other than the 9 specific events mentioned. Thirty-six percent of subjects reported 4 or more traumatic events in their lifetime. Thirty-two percent reported no IPV, 44% possible IPV and 24% probable IPV. Conclusions: Traumatic event exposure, including IPV, is common in this sample of primary care patients. Further analysis will examine the association of demographic differences with trauma exposure.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Violence, Primary Care
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.