عقبى الكرب الرضحي لدى طلبة الإعدادية من ضحايا ملجأ العامرية

Abstract EN

Traumatic events play an important role in precipitating many psychatric disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Amiriya Shelter in Baghdad was bombareded during the night of 13.2.1991.

As a consequence 403 were dead (52 child, and (261) old women and (90) old man).

Only 14 victims survived.

This study aimed to find-out the rate of PTSD among vitim’s close relatives and friends, it’s relation to closeness of relation, sex and degree of exposure to the event.

300 secondary school students (150 close relatives or friends of the victims) were studied using a specially designed PTSD sclae based on DSM-III-R.

Half of the students were females.

The results showed that 37% (59) of the victims had PTSD versus none (among the non-exposed control group).

65% (43) of the students who lost their family members of rclose relatives had PTSD, and only in 19% (16) of those who lost their friends.

Among the female group 63% (47) versus only 16% (12) of male group had PTSD.

This concludes that bombardment of Amiriya Shelter as a disaster precipitated PTSD among the traumatized students and raised the need for intensive and long term psychiatric aid, social care and follow-up.