Prevalence and correlates of explosive anger among pregnant and post-partum women in post-conflict Timor-Leste

BACKGROUND: Little is known about explosive anger as a response pattern among pregnant and post-partum women in conflict-affected societies. AIMS: To investigate the prevalence and correlates of explosive anger among this population in Timor-Leste. METHOD: We assessed traumatic events, intimate partner violence, an index of adversity, explosive anger, psychological distress and post-traumatic stress disorder among 427 women (257 in the second trimester of pregnancy, 170 who were 3–6 months post-partum) residing in two districts of Timor-Leste (response >99%). RESULTS: Two-fifths (43.6%) had explosive anger. Levels of functional impairment were related to frequency of explosive anger episodes. Explosive anger was associated with age (>35 years), being married, low levels of education, being employed, traumatic event count, ongoing adversity and intimate partner violence. CONCLUSIONS: A combination of social programmes and novel psychological therapies may assist in reducing severe anger among pregnant and post-partum women in conflict-affected countries such as Timor-Leste. DECLARATION OF INTEREST: None. COPYRIGHT AND USAGE: © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2015. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Non-Commercial, No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) licence.