Abstract
The present study conducted in Japan aimed to clarify the relationship between violence directed towards parents by patients with schizophrenia and parents’ risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Questionnaire data from 353 parents were analyzed. In total, 84 of the 353 parents (23.8%) reported the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) score ≥ 25 (high-IES-R), indicative of a high risk of developing PTSD. The rate of high-IES-R scores was significantly higher among parents who had experienced an act of violence that was likely to result in severe injury by their adult child with schizophrenia (OR = 2.03; 95% CI 1.09–3.80; using “never experienced” as a reference) and in parents of patients who were hospitalized at the time of the survey (OR = 2.47; 95% CI 1.01–6.06; using “regularly visited a psychiatrist” as a reference). Therefore, parents experiencing violence by their adult child with schizophrenia are at a risk of developing PTSD. Parents of patients with schizophrenia, who are at a high risk of PTSD, are not usually provided the required support in Japan. To prevent violence and provide support for family members who may develop PTSD, it is necessary to establish crisis intervention programs, especially given the current emphasis on deinstitutionalization policy in Japan.
Highlights
In Japan, the 12-month prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is reported to be between 0.4% [1] and 0.7% [2] in the general population
“Acts of violence” were operationally defined as acts that resulted in physical injury or were likely to result in severe injury and were committed by using a weapon or by choking
A multiple logistic regression revealed a significant relationship between high Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) scores and the experience of familial violence
Summary
In Japan, the 12-month prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is reported to be between 0.4% [1] and 0.7% [2] in the general population. According to a community survey in Japan, approximately 60% of the respondents reported exposure to at least one traumatic event in their lifetime. A higher conditional risk of PTSD was observed in those who had been beaten (5.7%), raped (5.6%), or had a child with a serious illness (4.4%) [2]. The experience of violence and having a child with a serious illness appears to have a significant impact on the risk of PTSD in the Japanese population. Parents with an adult child with a serious mental illness are at risk for experiencing serious violence perpetrated by their child.
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