A cross-sectional study to compare levels of psychiatric morbidity between young people and adults exposed to violence in a large urban center

Teenagers and young adults are more exposed to violence and traumatic events than adults, and these factors can be associated with mental disorders. This paper aims at investigating whether young people are more exposed to violence and traumatic events and to compare pattern of mental disorders with adults. Cross-sectional study using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview, conducted between 2007 and 2008 with a randomly selected sample of 15 to 75 year-old residents of São Paulo, Brazil. Two thousand five hundred thirty-six participants were divided into two groups: 1096 (43.2 %) young people (15 to 24 years), and 1440 (56.8 %) adults (25 to 75 years). 12-month exposure to traumatic events was higher among young people (32.1 % vs. 20.6 %; p