Traumaerlebnisse, Posttraumatische Belastungsstörung und
Kohärenzgefühl bei türkischsprachigen Patienten einer
psychosomatischen Universitätsambulanz
Subtitle: Traumatic events, posttraumatic
stress disorder and sense of coherence among Turkish-speaking outpatients at a
university department of psychosomatics
Abstract: The experience of traumatic events and posttraumatic stress disorder
were examined among n = 77 patients of a Turkish-language outpatient unit at a
University Department of Psychosomatics in Essen, Germany, using the Essen
Trauma Inventory (ETI) and the Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC-29). At least one
traumatic event was reported for 92.2% of the patients. Severe disease, the
death or loss of an important person, as well as the experience of a severe
accident, were reported most frequently, followed by marital problems. In the
psychometric assessment, indices for a positive PTSD diagnosis were found among
nearly half of the patients (48.1%). PTSD was most often caused by marital
problems (13.5%), severe disease (13.5%) and the loss of an important
individual (10.8%). Turkish immigrant patients scored significantly lower on
sense of coherence (SOC-29) in comparison to the normal Turkish and German
populations as well as to Germans with psychiatric symptoms (all comparisons p
< 0.001). This study demonstrates the high prevalence of posttraumatic
stress disorder in a clinical population of Turkish immigrants and the
pathogenic potential of marital problems.
Keywords: Immigrants, trauma, PTSD, sense of coherence, Essen Trauma Inventory
