Original scientific paper
CONNECTIONS OF WAR EVENTS WITH THE STRUCTURE OF MORBIDITY AND COMORBIDITY IN HOMELAND WAR VETERANS FROM THE VUKOVAR AREA
DARKO ROPAC
orcid.org/0000-0002-9805-3869
; Catholic University of Croatia, Department of Nursing, Zagreb, Croatia
SVEN MUJKIĆ
; Vukovar General County Hospital and Croatian Veterans Hospital, Vukovar, Croatia
INA STAŠEVIĆ
orcid.org/0000-0002-6912-2191
; University of Applied Sciences, Study of Nursing, Bjelovar, Croatia
Abstract
Aim: The aim of the study was to examine the impact of war events on the structure of morbidity and comorbidity in Homeland War veterans. Respondents and Methods: The survey was conducted using a questionnaire consisting of 20 questions. The study included 60 veterans and 51 age- and gender-matched subjects that had not participated actively in combat activities, all from the Vukovar area. Results: A statistically signifi cant difference was found, primarily in the incidence of psychiatric disorders and subsequently in heart disease. Veterans were more likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (χ2=52.486; p=0.000), depression (χ2=7.150; p=0.007), anxiety disorder (χ2=6.678; p=0.010), sleep disorders (χ2=6.678; p=0.010) and heart disease (χ2=5.409; p=0.020). At the same time, there was a greater number of psychological problems in the veterans than in the control group. Conclusion: A large proportion of veterans suffer from PTSD, with depression, anxiety and sleep disorders as often comorbidities. In addition, heart diseases were more common among the veterans.
Keywords
war veterans; morbidity; comorbidity
Hrčak ID:
259144
URI
Publication date:
19.6.2021.
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