Adherence and treatment outcomes among genocide survivors with comorbidity of PTSD and other mental disorders attending CHUK, Rwanda

Abstract

Introduction: The PTSD became prevalent as a challenging public health problem in post-genocide period in Rwanda. The genocide survivors are especially the vulnerable group. Different recent studies still pointed out its prevalence. Methodology: This cross section study aimed to investigate the Adherence and Treatment Outcomes of genocide survivors with Comorbidity of PTSD and Other Mental Disorders attending CHUK/former SCPS. A sample of 102 patients was selected using systematic random sampling. Results: This study revealed point prevalence of comorbidity of PTSD and other mental disorders of 79.4%. Mean perceived social support from relatives was 14.3%. The proportion of patients who had absent or minimal impairment in functioning was 14.7%. The mean optimal adherence score was found to be 32.5%. Factors influencing adherence to treatment are related to Comorbidity of PTSD and mental disorders, economic barriers to access to health care services, Satisfaction with attitudes of service providers, social support and social stress (p<0.05). The statistically significant relationship between adherence to treatment and treatment outcomes was found (p<0.05). Conclusion: Most patients who adhered to their treatment had their symptoms reduced and had a better global functioning. The study recommended designing and implementing relevant interventions that can increase the number of patients who adhere optimally to treatment in order to have better treatment outcomes.