ARTICLE INFO

Article Type

Descriptive & Survey Study

Authors

Rahnejat   A.M. (1)
Dabagi   P. (*)
Rabiei   M. (2)
Taghva   A. (3)
Valipoor   H. (1)
Donyavi   V. (3)
Ebrahimi   M.R. (3)






(*) Clinical Psychology Department, Medicine Faculty, AJA University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
(1) Clinical Psychology Department, Medicine Faculty, AJA University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
(2) Clinical Psychology Department, Medicine Faculty, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
(3) Psychiatry Department , Medicine Faculty , AJA University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Correspondence

Address: Shahid Etemadzade Street, West Fatemi Street, AJA University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Phone: +98 (21) 22195164
Fax: +98 (21) 22197198
dabaghi_44@yahoo.com

Article History

Received:   June  29, 2016
Accepted:   November 21, 2016
ePublished:   March 10, 2017

ABSTRACT

Aims The post-traumatic stress disorders sometimes continue years after wars. The aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorders in the veterans 26 years after the end of Iran-Iraq war.
Instrument & Methods In this cross-sectional study, 341 Iranian veterans were studied in 2014. The subjects were selected via cluster random sampling method. Data was collected using post-traumatic stress disorder checklist-military edition (PCL-M-5), clinician-administered post-traumatic stress disorders scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5), and a demographic questionnaire. Data was analyzed through descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation coefficient and simultaneous regression analysis tests.
Findings 82 veterans (24.0%) were with post-traumatic stress disorders diagnostic criteria. In addition, their most prevalent post-traumatic stress disorders symptoms were arousal and reactivity, and negative changes in the cognition and mood, successively. Domographic parameters, including educational level (r=-0.191; p<0.01), age during military services (r=0.046; p<0.05), military services length (r=0.107; p<0.05), and injury and its severity (r=0.347; p<0.01) significantly correlated with post-traumatic stress disorders. In addition, 13% of the post-traumatic stress disorders variance were explained by the demographic parameters (p<0.01).
Conclusion 26 years after the end of Iran-Iraq war, many veterans are with post-traumatic stress disorders, and their most prevalent symptom is arousal and reactivity.


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