Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder And Associated Risk Factors Among Young Adults In Selected Secondary Schools In Lakes State, South Sudan

Abstract

Posttraumatic stress disorder is a mental condition that develops after a person has been exposed to traumatic events. Traumatic events are dreadful, shocking, scary and dangerous experience that affect someone, which possibly causes clinically significant distress or impairment in the life of some of the young adults. This study investigated posttraumatic stress disorder and associated risk factors among young adults in selected secondary schools in Lakes State, South Sudan.

Material and Methods: The study used a quantitative approach using a descriptive research design. Descriptive cross-sectional survey was also used. The sample size for the study was 366 students. Multi stage sampling method was used to identify the schools then randomly select the final participants proportionally. A social demographic questionnaire, Harvard trauma Questionnaire and types of traumatic events questionnaires were used respectively. Statistical Package for Social Science version 26 (SPSS version 26) was used to analyze the quantitative data, using frequencies and percentage expressions, and then presented in summary tables.

Results: In the study findings, the study has established that death trauma (61.2%), unfortunate news (57.7%), robbery (53.8%), fear of death or injury (50.3%) and forceful threats (44.3%) are the types of traumatic events experienced by young adults in selected secondary schools in Lakes State, South Sudan. Furthermore, the study found that Trauma (0.000<p=0.05) has a significant relationship with PTSD. Regarding the prevalence of PTSD symptoms among young adults in selected secondary schools in Lakes State, South Sudan, and the study has found the prevalence to be 15.3%. Further the research has established that gender of the participants, with the significance level as 0.032<p=0.05 is a risk factor to developing PTSD.

Conclusion: The study concludes that the types of traumatic events influence the development of PTSD and gender is a risk factor to developing PTSD