article · Frontiers in Psychiatry
A study conducted in Nefas Meewcha Town in northwest Ethiopia evaluated the prevalence and predictors of post-traumatic stress disorder amongst adult war survivors. Using the post-traumatic stress disorder checklist across 812 participants selected through multi-stage sampling, the investigation identified that 40.8 percent of respondents experienced post-traumatic stress disorder. The likelihood of developing the condition rose significantly among individuals who had a close family member killed or injured, experienced physical assault, or participated in active combat. Additional associated factors included being female, living with a chronic medical illness, experiencing poor social support, and showing symptoms of depression, anxiety, or elevated stress. The findings highlight a substantial mental health burden in regions affected by armed conflict.
Armed conflicts cause severe psychological trauma, yet data on mental health outcomes remains scarce in low- and middle-income countries. Identifying the high burden of post-traumatic stress disorder and its main triggers helps humanitarian groups, healthcare providers, and policymakers direct targeted psychological support and resources to vulnerable survivors recovering from war.
The abstract does not indicate an application pathway or commercialisation potential, focusing instead on epidemiological assessment and recommendations for mental health organisations.
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Background A person may endure or witness a traumatic incident, such as being exposed to war, and, as a result, develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). There is a lack of information about post-traumatic stress disorder in low and middle-income countries such as Ethiopia. However, armed conflict, abuse of human rights, and violence motivated by race are becoming more commonplace. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of PTSD and associated factors among war survivors in Nefas Meewcha Town, South Gondar Zone, Ethiopia, 2022. Methods A community based cross-sectional study was carried out. 812 study participants were chosen using a multi-stage sampling process. A face-to-face interview used a post-traumatic stress disorder checklist (PCL-5) to evaluate PTSD. The association between PTSD and other demographic and psychosocial characteristics was investigated using bivariate and multivariable binary logistic regression analysis. A P -value of 0.05 was declared as statistical significance. Result The prevalence of PTSD in this study was 40.8% with a 95% CI of 36.2 to 46.7. The likelihood of developing PTSD was significantly associated with the fallowing factors. A close family member killed or seriously injured (AOR = 4.53, 95% CI = 3.25–6.46), being female (AOR = 1.98, 95% CI = 1.3–3.0), moderate (AOR = 3.51, 95% CI = 2.52–4.68) and high perceived stress (AOR = 5.23, 95% CI = 3.47–8.26), depression symptoms (AOR = 4.92, 95% CI = 3.57–6.86), anxiety disorder symptoms (AOR = 5.24, 95% CI = 3.72–7.63), a chronic medical illness (AOR = 3.51, 95% CI = 2.52–5.41), physical assault (AOR = 2.12, 95% CI = 1.05–3.72) and being in a war fighting situation (AOR = 1.41, 95% CI = 1.21–3.14). Conclusion This study reported that the prevalence of PTSD was high. Being female, having a previous history of chronic medical illness, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, history of a family member or friend was injured or killed, poor social support, high perceived stress, physical assault, and being in a war fighting situation were statistically associated with PTSD. Hence, regular patient assessment by mental health organizations for those with a history of trauma and facilitation of ways to support such residents is highly recommended.
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DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1083138
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