Original scientific paper
Disorder of extreme stress not otherwise specified (DESNOS) in Croatian war veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder: case-control study
Iva Nemčić-Moro
; Department of Psychological Medicine, University Hospital Center Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Tanja Frančišković
; University of Rijeka, School of Medicine, Rijeka, Croatia Medicine, Split, Croatia
Dolores Britvić
; Department of Psychiatry University Hospital and School of
Miro Klarić
; Department of Psychiatry, Mostar University Hospital, Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Iva Zečević
; Psychiatric Hospital for Children and Youth, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
Aim To determine the presence of disorder of extreme
stress not otherwise specified (DESNOS) in Croatian war
veterans who suffer from combat-related posttraumatic
stress disorder (PTSD).
Methods The research included 247 veterans of the 1991-
1995 war in Croatia who suffered from PTSD and were
psychiatrically examined at four clinical centers in Croatia
during a month in 2008. It was based on the following selfassessment
instruments: The Harvard Trauma Questionnaire
(HTQ): Croatian Version, the Structured Interview for
Disorder of Extreme Stress (SIDES-SR), and the Mini International
Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI)
Results Based on the SIDES-SR results, we formed two
groups of participants: the group with PTSD (N = 140) and
the group with both PTSD and DESNOS (N = 107). Forty
three percent of participants met the criteria for DESNOS.
There was a significant difference in the intensity of posttraumatic
symptoms between the group with both PTSD
and DESNOS and the group with PTSD only (U = 3733.5,
P = 0.001). Respondents who suffered from both PTSD
and DESNOS also reported a significantly larger number
of comorbid mental disorders (U = 1123.5, P = 0.049) and
twice more frequently reported comorbid depression with
melancholic features (OR = 2.109, P = 0.043), social phobia
(OR = 2.137, P = 0.036), or panic disorder (OR = 2.208,
P = 0.015).
Conclusion Our results demonstrate that PTSD and DESNOS
can occur in comorbidity, which is in contrast with the
ICD-10 criteria. A greater intensity of symptoms and a more
frequent comorbidity with other psychiatric disorders, especially
depression, panic disorder, and social phobia require
additional therapy interventions in the treatment
processes.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
71468
URI
Publication date:
15.8.2011.
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