Tinnitus among Cambodian refugees: relationship to PTSD severity

Consecutive Cambodian refugees attending a psychiatric clinic were assessed for the presence and severity of current tinnitus (i.e., at least one episode in the last month). Fifty percent (52/104) of surveyed patients had tinnitus. Among the tinnitus patients, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) rates were significantly more elevated than among nontinnitus patients (OR=13.5; 95% CI=5.8 to 39.4), as were Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) scores. In a hierarchical regression among tinnitus patients (n=52), tinnitus-related trauma associations and catastrophic cognitions accounted for variability in CAPS severity beyond a measure of tinnitus severity. Among tinnitus patients, tinnitus-related trauma associations and catastrophic cognitions mediated the effect of tinnitus severity on CAPS severity.