Acculturation, psychiatric comorbidity and posttraumatic stress disorder in a Taiwanese aboriginal population

Background This study investigates acculturation and other antecedent psychiatric and socio-environmental risk factors for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in one aboriginal group (the Bunun) exposed to an earthquake disaster in Taiwan. Method Respondents (n = 196) were assessed 5 months after the disaster, using a Chinese version of the Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry and the Taiwan Aboriginal Acculturation Scale. Result Four risk factors exerted independent effect on the risk of PTSD, including magnitude of the earthquake, subsequent traumas, antecedent major depressive disorder and acculturation status. Conclusion Public mental health programs need to consider the liability to PTSD in populations with different ethnicity and socio-cultural environments.