Collective trauma transmission and traumatic reactions among descendants of Armenian refugees.

BACKGROUND: It has been suggested, mainly by case reports, that the collective trauma generated by mass calamities may be transmitted to, and have long-lasting effects on, new generations. AIMS: To investigate the psychological impact on contemporary Armenians of traumatic events suffered by Armenians during the period 1914-1918. METHODS: A descriptive, cross-sectional study investigating demographic and cultural characteristics of a population of 689 people of Armenian origin, residents of Greece and Cyprus. Subjects were recruited during a range of Armenian cultural, athletic or charitable events. The participants completed a version of the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) (Self-Rating) Scale and a questionnaire including ad hoc questions regarding their relationship to the Armenian community, their attitudes and their source of information about the 1914-1918 events. RESULTS: Over a third (35.7%) of participants presented at least sub-clinical forms of such reactions during long periods of their lives. Women, older people, participants with a close relative lost during the events and those with strong connections to the Armenian community were more vulnerable. CONCLUSION: The results are indicative of a long-lasting (though gradually fading) cross-generational traumatizing effect of the discussed events. Clinicians having to deal with patients belonging to cultural or ethnic groups that suffered persecutions in the past should take into account the probable effects caused by a trauma-transmission mechanism.

Health service staff's attitudes towards patients with mental illness.

INTRODUCTION: Stereotypes and prejudices against patients with mental illness are widespread in many societies. The aim of the present study is to investigate such attitudes among the staff and medical students, including employees and trainees, in a general university hospital. METHOD: Six hundred individuals (361 employees, 231 students) completed the following questionnaires: Level of Contact Report (LCR), Authoritarianism Scale (AS), and Opinion about Mental Illness (OMI), a scale yielding five factors (social discrimination, social restriction, social care, social integration, and aetiology). Multivariate linear regression models were applied in order to search for the simultaneous effect of many variables on the scores of OMI factors. RESULTS: An important part of the sample held negative attitudes especially concerning social discrimination and restriction of the patients. Women, older and less educated staff, nursing staff, and people scoring higher on authoritarianism were more prejudiced. Higher scores on familiarity were associated with less negative attitudes. CONCLUSION: The results indicate the need to develop sensitisation and training programs considering mental health topics among health service employees.