PREVALENCE AND FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH COMMON MENTAL DISORDERS AMONG PEOPLE DISPLACED BY ARMED CONFLICT IN CABO DELGADO

Abstract. Humanitarian emergencies are a major global health challenge, with the potential to profoundly affect people's mental and psychological health. Displacement is a traumatic event that disrupts families and affects physical and psychological health at all ages. A person may endure or witness a traumatic incident, such as exposure to war, and, as a result, develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). There is a lack of information on post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety in low- and middle-income countries in humanitarian emergency contexts such as Mozambique. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety, and associated factors, among survivors of armed conflict in Cabo Delgado, northern Mozambique, in 2023. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted between January and April 2023 with 750 participants selected by convenience sampling. Face-to-face interviews used the Primary Care PTSD Screen (PC-PTSD-5) to assess PTSD, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) to assess anxiety, and the Patient Health Questionnaire-Mozambique (PHQ-9 MZ) to assess depression. Associations between PTSD and demographic and psychosocial characteristics were analyzed using bivariate and multivariate binary logistic regression, with a 5% significance level. The three mental disorders assessed were highly prevalent in the sample, with 74.3% PTSD, 63.8% depression, and 40.0% anxiety. The chance of developing PTSD was higher among women (AOR = 2.30; 95% CI: 1.50-3.51), among patients with symptoms of depression (AOR = 8.27; 95% CI: 4.97-13.74), and among those with symptoms of anxiety (AOR = 1.45; 95% CI: 0.84-2.50). The study found a high prevalence of PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Patients with depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and female sex are at higher risk of developing PTSD. Screening for common mental disorders should be integrated into humanitarian emergency contexts, together with adapted psychosocial interventions. Keywords: Post-traumatic stress disorder; Depression; Anxiety; Cabo Delgado; Mozambique Paper published in the Proceedings of the III International Congress on Brazilian Academic Migration and Diaspora (CIMDAB 2024), held on July 25-27, 2024, at the University of Minho, Braga, Portugal. CIMDAB 2024 proceedings paper. The final PDF will contain the Zenodo DOI reserved for this draft before publication.