Social identification and post-traumatic stress symptoms in post-conflict Northern Ireland

Background: Understanding of the psychological impact of politically motivated violence is poor. Aims: To examine the prevalence of post-traumatic symptoms subsequent to the 'troubles' in Northern Ireland. Method: A telephone survey of 3000 adults, representative of the population in Northern Ireland and the border counties of the Irish Republic, examined exposure to political violence, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and national identity. Results: Ten per cent of respondents had symptoms suggestive of clinical PTSD. These people were most likely to come from low-income groups, rate national identity as relatively unimportant and have higher overall experience of the 'troubles' than other respondents. Conclusions: Direct experience of violence and poverty increase the risk of PTSD, whereas strong national identification appears to reduce this risk.