Posttraumatic stress disorder among Sri Lankan University students as a consequence of their exposure to family violence

J Interpers Violence. 2009 Dec;24(12):2018-38. doi: 10.1177/0886260508327699. Epub 2008 Dec 23.

Abstract

The article presents the results of a study on the association between exposure to family violence (i.e., witnessing interparental violence and experiencing parental violence) during childhood and adolescence and adult posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The study was conducted among a self-selected convenience sample of 476 students from Sri Lanka, using a self-administered questionnaire. The findings indicate that the more participants witnessed interparental violence and the more they experienced parental violence, the more they exhibited PTSD symptoms. Moreover, the findings reveal that participants' exposure to family violence explains a significant amount of the variance in their PTSD over and above the variance that can be attributed to their sociodemographic characteristics (age, gender, number of siblings, and family's socioeconomic status) and to their perceptions of the environment and functioning of their families. The limitations of the study and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Age Factors
  • Aged
  • Child
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Domestic Violence / ethnology
  • Domestic Violence / psychology*
  • Domestic Violence / statistics & numerical data
  • Educational Status
  • Family Characteristics / ethnology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Risk Factors
  • Sex Factors
  • Social Environment
  • Socioeconomic Factors
  • Sri Lanka
  • Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / diagnosis*
  • Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / epidemiology
  • Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / ethnology
  • Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / psychology
  • Students, Medical / psychology*
  • Students, Medical / statistics & numerical data