Preliminary findings on lifetime trauma prevalence and PTSD symptoms among adolescents in Sarawak Malaysia.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of lifetime exposure to traumatic events and its relation to PTSD symptoms. METHODS Participants were randomly selected from several schools located in the city of Kuching. There were 85 adolescents participating in this study, with ages ranging from 13 to 14 years old, of whom 31% (n=26) were males and 69% (n=59) females. The Child Posttraumatic Stress Index-Revised, The Harvard Trauma Questionnaire and a lifetime trauma checklist were used in this study. RESULTS Results showed that 77.6% of participants were exposed to at least one lifetime trauma. The most frequently reported traumas were road accident (20.1%), death of a family member (19.7%), and almost drowning (10%). There was more indirect trauma than direct trauma exposure. Males were more likely to be involved in traumatic events than females. Results showed that 7.1% (6) exhibited PTSD symptoms. There was no significant difference in the mean score of CPTS-RI between genders and among ethnic groups. Total exposure to traumatic events was significantly correlated with PTSD symptoms. CONCLUSION Findings suggest that number of lifetime traumatic events was quite high and multiple exposures to traumatic events were significantly related to PTSD symptoms.