Assessing PTSD in Refugee Trauma Survivors in a Developing Country Using a Validated Survey

In this study, we will screen 50 female survivors of the 1984 Sikh Massacre in the Widow Colony in Delhi, India for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). The women in this population are victims of ethno-religious violence in a culture where mental health is strongly stigmatized. We will attempt to determine how many women and what percentage of women in this population have PTSD or MDD as compared to existing diagnoses by primary care providers. As many of these women witnessed firsthand the killing of their children and husbands, as well as other family members and neighbors, we hypothesize that the prevalence of PTSD and MDD within this population will be high, but unrecognized.