HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE OF VETERANS WITH POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER IN OUTPATIENT TREATMENT

SZO definira zdravlje kao stanje potpunog fizičkog, mentalnog i društvenog blagostanja, a ne samo odsustva bolesti ili slabosti. Kvaliteta života definirana je kao percepcija pojedinaca o njihovom položaju u životu u kontekstu kulture i vrijednosnih sustava u kojima žive, te u odnosu na njihove vlastite ciljeve. Posttraumatski stresni poremećaj (PTSP) psihijatrijski je poremećaj koji se može razviti u osoba aktivno ili pasivno izloženih životno ugrožavajućim iskustvima, a karakteriziraju ga simptomi poput ponovnog i trajnog prisjećanja na traumatski događaj, praćeno pretjeranom pobudljivošću i izbjegavanjem, te obamrlost. Premda je PTSP prvenstveno povezan sa mentalnim zdravljem, ne može se isključiti utjecaj tog poremećaja na fizičko zdravlje. Dosadašnja istraživanja pokazuju narušenu kvalitetu života u oboljelih od ovog poremećaja, uz česte poteškoće u psihosocijalnom funkcioniranju. Glavni cilj ovog istraživanja bio je utvrditi povezanost kvalitete života i težine simptoma PTSP-a kod veterana DR izloženih ratnoj psihotraumatizaciji, a dodatni ciljevi bili su ispiti odnos intenziteta simptoma PTSP-a s pojedinom domenom funkcioniranja : pokretljivost, skrb o sebi, svakodnevne aktivnosti, bol/nelagoda i tjeskoba/potištenost. Istraživanje je provedeno na 200 pacijenata koji se ambulantno liječe na Klinici za psihijatriju KBC Rijeka pod dijagnozom PTSP-a koji su sudjelovali kao branitelji u DR. Dokazane su statistički značajna razlike u tri od ukupno pet dimenzija funkcioniranja predviđenih instrumentom EQ-5D-5L, a razlike se odnose na probleme vezane uz svakodnevnu aktivnost, bol/nelagodu i anksioznost/depresiju. Prema rezultatima VAS ispitanici s višim intenzitetom simptoma PTSP-a procjenjuju svoje zdravlje lošijim u odnosu na ispitanike s blagim i umjerenim intenzitetom simptoma.World health organization (WHO) defines health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Quality of life is defined as the individual’s perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that can develop in people who are actively or passively exposed to life-threatening experiences and it is characterized by symptoms such as intrusive memories on a traumatic event, followed by hyperarousal and avoidance, and exclusion. While PTSD is primarily associated with mental health, it is not possible to exclude the impact of this disorder on physical health. Previous research has shown poorer quality of life in people suffering from this disorder, with frequent difficulties in psychosocial functioning. The main aim of this study was to establish the correlation between the quality of life and the intensity of PTSD symptom among the Croatian War of Independence veterans exposed to war psychotraumatization. Additional goals were to examine the relationship between the intensity of PTSD symptom with a particular domain of functioning: mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/ discomfort and anxiety/depression. A study was performed on 200 patients who were treated at the Clinical Hospital in Rijeka on Psychiatric Clinic using the EQ-5D-5L instrument. A statistically significant difference was found in three of the five dimensions of functioning, with differences related to daily activity, pain/discomfort and depression/anxiety. According to VAS results, patients with higher intensity symptoms of PTSD evaluate their health worse than those with mild and moderate intensity symptoms