Trauma, Stress, and Mental Health in South Africa

描述（由申请人提供）：这个拟议的项目寻求三年的支持，以系统地研究在南非遭受政治动机的创伤和暴力的流行程度和心理健康后果。它将考虑暴力行为对肇事者和幸存者的心理后遗症。此外，在世界上受艾滋病流行影响最严重的国家之一，这项研究将探讨艾滋病毒/艾滋病的感知威胁的心理影响。这项工作有以下具体目的：1)了解种族隔离期间政治动机创伤的普遍性和分布；2)通过适当使用有针对性的比较和统计控制，仔细和谨慎地研究观察到的关联，评估创伤暴露与心理健康之间的关系；3)评估HIV/AIDS感知易感性与精神障碍风险的相关性；4)研究一系列假设的应激素质变量在修正应激暴露与心理健康关系中的作用；5)估计当前的患病率和社会人口相关因素

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant):This proposed project seeks three years of support to systematically examine the prevalence and mental health consequences of exposure to politically motivated trauma and violence in South Africa. It will consider the psychological sequelae of violent acts for both perpetrators and survivors. In addition, in one of the countries of the world hardest hit by the AIDS epidemic, this study will explore the psychological impact of the perceived threat of HIV/AIDS. This work has the following specific aims: 1) To learn about the prevalence and distribution of exposure to politically motivated trauma during apartheid; 2) To assess the relationship between exposure to trauma and mental health by carefully and cautiously studying the observed associations with appropriate use of targeted comparisons and statistical controls; 3) To assess the association between perceived vulnerability to HIV/AIDS and the risk of psychiatric disorders; 4) To study the effects of a series of hypothesized stress-diathesis variables in modifying the associations between stress exposure and mental health; 5) To estimate the current prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of commonly occurring mental disorders in South Africa and the role impairments associated with these disorders; 6) To investigate the impact of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) on the mental health of South Africans; and 7) To study predictors of informal and professional help-seeking among South Africans who currently have mental disorders. No nationally representative data exists on these issues in South Africa and the proposed study provides an unprecedented opportunity to enhance our understanding of the mental health consequences of exposure to racial-political violence in the country of origin only a short time after transition to majority rule.