Prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among pharmacy students at Wad Medani College of Medical Sciences and Technology during wartime in Sudan

Abstract

• We aimed to identify the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among pharmacy students at Wad Medani College of Medical Sciences and Technology. • We found that 45.6 % of pharmacy students had provisional PTSD. • 94.3 % ( n = 430) of the studied students had been displaced due to the conflict. • Economic status was significantly associated with PTSD prevalence. • All traumatic events were significantly associated with PTSD prevalence like confiscation or destruction of personal property, ill health without access to medical care, forced separation from family members, being forced to hide, witnessing combat, and lack of shelter. Millions of Sudanese people have been forced to flee their homes since war erupted in April 2023. Subsequently, an alarmingly high prevalence of Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among internally displaced people has been described. This war has resulted in the displacement, loss of shelter, suspension of study, destruction of personal property, and other war-related traumatic events for the majority of pharmacy students in the country. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the prevalence of PTSD among pharmacy students at Wad Medani College of Medical Sciences and Technology, and to explore the association between socio-demographic data, traumatic events, and PTSD prevalence. This was a cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire that collected data about socio-demographics, encountered traumatic events, and the PTSD checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). For associations, the chi-square test and binary logistic regression were used. Overall, 45.6 % of the 456 participating pharmacy students met the criteria for PTSD. The war in Wad Medani, Sudan, led to the displacement of 94.3 % of the pharmacy students. More than half of them sought refuge in neighbouring countries. Economic status had a statistically significant association with PTSD prevalence (OR=1.497, CI (1.108 - 2.021)). All Traumatic events, such as lack of shelter (OR=2.113, CI (1.142- 3.913)), and being forced to hide (OR=2.078, CI (1.323- 3.265)) were significantly associated with PTSD. A large proportion of pharmacy students in this study may potentially be suffering from PTSD, indicating a pressing need for more research and targeted mental health services in settings affected by this conflict.