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Journal of Refugee Studies 2002 15(3):283-295; doi:10.1093/jrs/15.3.283
© 2002 by Oxford University Press
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The Prevalence and Associated Socio-demographic Variables of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder among Patients attending Primary Health Care Centres in the Gaza Strip

Abdel-Hamid Afana1, Odd Steffen Dalgard2, Espen Bjertness2, Berthold Grunfeld2 and Edvard Hauff3

1 Gaza Community Mental Health Programme, Gaza City, Palestine 2 Institute of General Practice and Community Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway 3 Institute of Psychiatry, University of Oslo, Norway

This study is part of an epidemiological investigation of mental health problems among patients in primary health care clinics in the Gaza Strip. It was conducted in 10 primary health care clinics selected at random, both amongst governmental and the main non-governmental primary health care providers. The objective of the study was to investigate the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among patients attending primary health care clinics in the Gaza Strip and the association between socio-demographic variables and PTSD. Every second patient in each clinic aged between 16 and 55 years, except those who came for referrals, vaccinations, insurance or driver's license examinations, prenatal care, reports, pregnancy problems or emergencies, was approached and invited to participate. A total of 670 patients were asked to participate in the study, after consulting their general practitioner, with 661 agreeing to take part. It was found that the overall prevalence of PTSD symptoms in primary health care patients was 29 per cent, and significantly higher among females than in males (P=0.001). Prevalence of PTSD among those exposed to traumatic events was 36 per cent. Highly educated patients were more often exposed to traumatic events, but the prevalence of PTSD was lower than among less educated patients. Males exposed to traumatic events reported a lower prevalence of PTSD than traumatized females.

Received February 2002. Revised June 2002.


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