Prevalence and factors associated with post-traumatic stress disorder among internally displaced populations due to gang violence in Haiti.

BACKGROUND

Since 2018, escalating armed gang violence in Haiti has caused thousands of deaths and kidnappings, the collapse of essential services, and the internal displacement of over 1.3 million people. This study documents the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and associated factors among internally displaced people due to armed gang violence, providing essential evidence to inform clinical care and guide targeted humanitarian and mental health interventions.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional survey among 1541 internally displaced adults (mean age=36.4, 60.6% women). PTSD symptoms, community violence exposure, traumatic life events, and resilience were assessed. Hierarchical logistic regression examined associations between PTSD symptoms, trauma exposure, and resilience, adjusting for sociodemographic factors.

RESULTS

57.2% of participants reported severe PTSD symptoms, with higher prevalence in women (62.4%), individuals displaced to rural areas (69.3%), older adults, and those with lower education. Three logistic regression models examined PTSD symptoms. Life events initially increased PTSD risk (victimized: aOR=1.12; witnessed: aOR=1.07), explaining 29.8% of variance. Adding community violence raised explained variance to 49.7%, with victimization remaining significant (aOR=1.05) and witnessing non-significant. In the final model, higher resilience slightly reduced PTSD risk (aOR=0.98), while victimization and witnessing community violence increased it (aOR=1.22 and 1.06), accounting for 50.7% of variance.

CONCLUSIONS

Chronic armed gang violence drives high PTSD rates among Haiti's internally displaced persons, with resilience offering limited protection. Addressing this crisis requires integrating mental health into humanitarian efforts, strengthening community support, prioritizing vulnerable groups, ensuring that psychological wellbeing becomes a central pillar of recovery and social stability.