Experience of traumatic events in people with severe mental illness in a low-income country: a qualitative study

Lauren C Ng; Kimberly Hook; Maji Hailemariam; Medhin Selamu; Abebaw Fekadu; Charlotte Hanlon

doi:10.1186/s13033-023-00616-4

Experience of traumatic events in people with severe mental illness in a low-income country: a qualitative study

Int J Ment Health Syst. 2023 Dec 5;17(1):45. doi: 10.1186/s13033-023-00616-4.

Authors

Lauren C Ng^{1

2

3}, Kimberly Hook^{4

5

6

7}, Maji Hailemariam^{8

9}, Medhin Selamu¹⁰, Abebaw Fekadu^{10

11}, Charlotte Hanlon^{10

11

12}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA. laurenng@ucla.edu.
² Department of Psychiatry, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA. laurenng@ucla.edu.
³ Department of Psychiatry, Boston University, School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA. laurenng@ucla.edu.
⁴ Department of Psychiatry, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.
⁵ Department of Psychiatry, Boston University, School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
⁶ Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
⁷ Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
⁸ Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
⁹ Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, Flint, MI, USA.
¹⁰ Center for Innovative Drug Development, Therapeutic Trials for Africa (CDT-Africa), Addis Ababa University, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
¹¹ Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
¹² Health Service and Population Research Department, Centre for Global Mental Health, King's College London, WHO Collaborating Centre for Mental Health Research and Training, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, UK.

Abstract

Background: This study describes the trauma experiences of people with severe mental illness (SMI) in Ethiopia and presents a model of how SMI and trauma exposure interact to reduce functioning and quality of life in this setting.

Methods: A total of 53 participants living and working in a rural district in southern Ethiopia were interviewed: 18 people living with SMI, 21 caregivers, and 14 primary health care providers.

Results: Many participants reported that exposure to traumatic and stressful events led to SMI, exacerbated SMI symptoms, and increased caregiver stress and distress. In addition, SMI symptoms and caregiver desperation, stress or stigma were also reported to increase the possibility of trauma exposure.

Conclusions: Results suggest it is incumbent upon health professionals and the broader health community to view trauma exposure (broadly defined) as a public health problem that affects all, particularly individuals with SMI.

Keywords: Quality of life; Severe mental illness (SMI); Trauma; Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Abstract

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