Mental health impact of exposure to armed conflict in Colombia

With the view to addressing the mental health needs of the Colombian population, exposed to many decades of armed conflict, an interview-based cross-sectional survey study was implemented in five departments (regions) of Colombia. The survey instrument measured, inter alia, exposure to armed conflict (LEC-5 and victim status) and health outcome (SCL-25 and self-reported health). 4480 interviews were conducted by trained interviewers. The results showed no association between prevalence of mental health symptoms and resident area exposure to armed conflict. However, a clear association between both number of events reported and victim status on the one hand and depression and anxiety as well as self-reported health on the other was found. Exposure to one and two or more events were associated with relative risk of depression or anxiety or both of 1.8 (CI 1.4-2.6) and 4.2 (CI 3.5-14.8) compared to no exposure. The other indicators used showed similar gradients. In conclusion, this survey study showed a strong association between exposure to armed conflict and health, including mental health, impact.