Introduction:

post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a syndrome that occurs after a person experiences an extreme traumatic event such as violence in its various manifestations: domestic, sexual, political, or armed.

Objective:

to determine the prevalence of PTSD and the demographic factors and associated displacement conditions in the population displaced by the violence resulting from the armed conflict, in three cities of Colombia: Bogotá, Medellín and Buenaventura.

Method:

observational, analytical study with cross-sectional design, cross-sectional measurement, through availability of retrospective data. The population under study consists of 1,026 records of people who are victims of the armed conflict, aged between 13 and 65 years, participants in the primary study “Mental disorders in displaced population victims of the armed conflict, in three cities of Colombia”.

Results:

the lifetime prevalence of PTSD is 9.9%, higher in the city of Buenaventura; the disorder presents a statistically significant association with variables such as occupation, marital status, and the way in which the displacement occurred.

Conclusions:

aspects such as lack of job, displacement characteristics and low social support stand out as possible factors that trigger or intensify PTSD.

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