Disparities in PTSD among American Indians parallel similar differences in trauma exposure. While this disorder affects an estimated 7-8% of Americans during their lifetimes [4,12-14], the handful of studies of American Indian populations that allow comparisons to national data show higher rates. For instance, a study of Vietnam veterans using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R (SCID) [15] found lifetime PTSD rates significantly higher for the two American Indian samples than for Whites. Data from the AI-SUPERPFP, which used methods comparable to those of the baseline NCS, likewise showed lifetime PTSD rates significantly higher for both men and women in tribal samples than among other Americans [16].
