Mental health, social functioning, and attitudes of Kosovar Albanians following the war in Kosovo

CONTEXT: The 1998-1999 war in Kosovo had a direct impact on large numbers of civilians. The mental health consequences of the conflict are not known. OBJECTIVES: To establish the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity associated with the war in Kosovo, to assess social functioning, and to identify vulnerable populations among ethnic Albanians in Kosovo. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Cross-sectional cluster sample survey conducted from August to October 1999 among 1358 Kosovar Albanians aged 15 years or older in 558 randomly selected households across Kosovo. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Nonspecific psychiatric morbidity, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and social functioning using the General Health Questionnaire 28 (GHQ-28), Harvard Trauma Questionnaire, and the Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form 20 (MOS-20), respectively; feelings of hatred and a desire for revenge among persons surveyed as addressed by additional questions. RESULTS: Of the respondents, 17.1% (95% confidence interval CI], 13.2%-21.0%) reported symptoms that met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition criteria for PTSD; total mean score on the GHQ-28 was 11.1 (95% CI, 9.9-12.4). Respondents reported a high prevalence of traumatic events. There was a significant linear decrease in mental health status and social functioning with increasing amount of traumatic events (P