Post-traumatic stress disorder and psychiatric comorbidity in a sample of Egyptian adolescents after the revolution: a cross-sectional study

Background: Trauma experienced by adolescents has considerable importance because significant physical and emotional growth occurs at this age. With the events of the Arab Spring and the Egyptian revolution in 2011, many adolescents faced highly challenging and dramatic life events. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was clinically noticed in this group of patients. Aim: Because of the scarcity of research during this critical period, we aimed to determine the occurrence of PTSD in a sample of adolescent students in Tanta in order to assess their level of anxiety and study comorbid disorders. Methodology: A total of 423 adolescents were randomly selected from both public and private schools with random selection of the participating classes. The enrolled students were subjected to the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale to determine the level of anxiety, to the PTSD Checklist – Civilian Version, and the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview as a diagnostic interview for PTSD and associated comorbidities. Results: PTSD was seen in 16.31% of students, which was highly significantly more among female students compared with male students (P=0.006). The highest comorbidity was major depressive disorder in 33.33% of the sample, followed by social phobia in 28.99%. The level of anxiety on Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale was highly significantly associated with female sex, public school education, and presence of PTSD (P
Source: Middle East Current Psychiatry - Category: Psychiatry Tags: Original articles Source Type: research