Transtorno de estresse pós-traumático e uso de drogas ilícitas em mulheres encarceradas no Rio de Janeiro

background: the risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorder (ptsd) among incarcerated women may be associated with drug use. objectives: to establish the frequency of ptsd in a sample of incarcerated women and its relationship with drug use inside prison. anxiety and depression, nature of stressors and sociodemographic data were evaluated and the sample of ptsd-positive women was compared with the one of ptsd-negative women. methods: the study had a cross-sectional design. the ptsd was evaluated according to the dsm-iv criteria. drug consumption was assessed with the christo inventory for drug consumption. anxiety was evaluated with the spielberger inventory and depression with the beck inventory. results: among the 134 examined women, 40.3% showed ptsd. there was a significantly higher daily use of cocaine among women with a positive ptsd diagnosis (p < 0.01). daily consumption of illicit drugs was reported by 53% of the assessed women in prison. compared to ptsd-negative women, all participants diagnosed as ptsd-positive showed some degree of depression (p < 0.05). discussion: the high prevalence of ptsd among incarcerated women is comparable to the prevalence of high-risk populations described in other studies. in spite of being in prison, consumption of illicit drugs was high. the association of ptsd with an increased cocaine use suggests a preference to consume stimulant drugs among incarcerated women with ptsd.