Psychiatry Research EG

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 (Po0.001). Conclusion Despite its limitations, this study played an exploratory role in revealing the incidence, comorbidity, and risks for PTSD among adolescent students in Tanta and we recommend a replication of the study in adolescents belonging to other geographic locations in Egypt to draw effective educational programs on adolescent mental health for parents and teachers. Keywords: adolescent, Egyptian, post-traumatic stress disorder, revolution