INVESTIGATION OF THE PREVALENCE OF POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER IN PEOPLE WITH A PAST COVID-19

Abstract

This paper investigated the prevalence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in people who had tested positive for COVID-19. This study also examined the effect of socio demographic characteristics on PTSD levels in people who had tested positive for COVID-19. This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted between May and November 2022 at the Azadi Teaching Hospital Kirkuk in Kirkuk, Iraq. The study population consisted of 980 people who had tested positive for COVID-19. The inclusion criteria were (1) being 18 years or older and (2) having been admitted to the hospital. Data were collected online (Google forms) using a socio demographic questionnaire and a Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Questionnaire (PTSDQ). The data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS, v.26) at a significance level of <0.05. Frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations were used for categorical variables. The data were analyzed using a one-way analysis of variance (Kruskal Wallis) and a two-sample t-test. More than half of the participants were women (55.8%). More than a quarter of the participants were 26 to 33 years of age. Participants had a mean PTSDQ score of 47.7 ± 11.9. Gender, educational, and method of infection affected their PTSDQ scores. Female participants had a higher PTSDQ score than male participants.