Traumatic events and psychotic experiences: a nationally representative study in Thailand

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Thai Mental Health Survey Working Group - (Author)
  • Chair of Behavioral Epidemiology
  • TUD Dresden University of Technology
  • Somdet Chaopraya Institute of Psychiatry
  • Heidelberg University 
  • University of Toronto
  • Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
  • South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
  • Thailand Ministry of Public Health

Abstract

Aims. Most research exploring the link between traumatic events and psychotic experiences has focused on either Australia, Europe or North America. In this study, we expand the existing knowledge to Thailand and investigate the impact of the type and the number of traumatic events on psychotic experiences in Thailand. Methods. We used data from the nationally representative 2013 Thai National Mental Health Survey (TNMHS), including questions on traumatic events and psychotic experiences. We regressed the lifetime experience of hallucinations or delusions against the following independent variables: the experience of any traumatic event during lifetime (dichotomous; hypothesis 1); the experience of either no traumatic event, one interpersonal, one unintentional or both interpersonal and unintentional traumatic events (categorical; hypothesis 2) and the number of traumatic events experienced during lifetime (categorical; hypothesis 3). We adjusted the regression models for sociodemographic indicators and psychiatric disorders, and considered survey weights. Results. About 6% (95% confidence interval: 4.9–7.0) of the respondents stated that they had either hallucinatory or delusional experiences during their lifetime. The risk of reporting such experiences was more than doubled as high among respondents who had experienced at least one traumatic event during their lifetime than among those who had not yet experienced one, with higher risks for interpersonal or multiple traumatic events. Our results further indicated an increase in the risk of psychotic experiences as the number of traumatic events increased, with up to an eight-fold higher risk for people exposed to five or more traumatic events in their lifetime, compared to those with no traumatic events. Conclusions. Individuals reporting interpersonal or multiple traumatic events face much higher risk of psychotic experiences. Effective and widely accessible secondary prevention programmes for people having experienced interpersonal or multiple traumatic events constitute a key intervention option.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere47
JournalEpidemiology and psychiatric sciences
Volume30
Publication statusPublished - 8 Jun 2021
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMed 34100345

Keywords

Sustainable Development Goals

Keywords

  • delusion, hallucination, psychotic experiences, Thailand, Trauma