Post-traumatic stress disorder screening among Syrian war victims

Abstract

Introduction

War in Syria and related refugee crisis has caught worldwide attention for the past few years. The war is still continuing by the time of the writing of this abstract. War is one of the reasons of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Syrian people experience many traumatic events like witnessing death, torture and rape.

Aims

The aim of this research is to screen for PTSD among Syrian war victims.

Methods

A total of 150 (women = 52, men = 98) war victims between 18–65 years, inhabiting a Syrian camp near the Turkish border were screened with trauma response checklist for PTSD between March 11 and April 11 2015.

Results

Significant amount of the interviewed participants were found to show symptoms of PTSD. Seventy-six percent (n = 114) of the participants had experienced a traumatic event. In total, 80.6% (n = 121) were experiencing distress. Seventy-eight percent (n = 117) had avoidance. Eighty-four percent (n = 126) had negative interfering thoughts. Eighty-eight percent (n = 132) were experiencing trauma associated disturbance. Answers from 78.6% (n = 118) of the participants indicated that they should be further referred to a specialist. The findings were not affected by gender or age.

Conclusion

We have found that most of the participants showed signs of PTSD. Our findings highlight the psychological impact of war on Syrian people. A definite diagnosis of PTSD can be made with detailed psychiatric examination, however given the amount of victims and available staff a brief screening instrument may help identify potential cases to be further evaluated. PTSD has life-long consequences and trauma can be passed through generations. International support for war victims should include psychological support and interventions.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.