Khat abuse as risk factor for development of psychotic symptoms in trauma patients : a feasibility study for further genetico-epidemiological studies in the GGFRC, ethiopia

Abstract

The Jimma University in southwestern Ethiopia has a unique health and demographic surveillance system called „Gilgel Gibe Field Research Center” (GGFRC) with a catchment area of about 50.000 people. In this setting, we studied the effect of khat use as risk factor for the development and the stability of psychotic symptoms among young men in the community. Our aim was to validate pilot data by testing the hypothesis, whether objective biological data on khat abuse are related in a meaningful way to behavioral self-reports of study participants and psychiatric symptom presentation assessed by trained interviewers. We assumed that khat alkaloids in urine samples of respondents are related to a higher probability of psychotic symptom presentation, especially in the subgroup with high trauma load. Furthermore, we wanted to demonstrate the reliability and validity of research methods that are necessary for future genetic epidemiological studies, i.e. the validity and reliability of pharmacological screening tests as well as assessments performed by trained local interviewers.