Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder among Yazidi Adolescents Survivors at Refugee Camps in Duhok City, Kurdistan Region of Iraq

ABSTRACT Background: Adolescents suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are on the rise all over the world, particularly in violent conflicts and war zones. Iraq has been subjected to large-scale traumatic events on a regular basis, such as consecutive wars, economic sanctions, long-term organized violence, and terrorism. This dangerous condition has a significant influence on the Iraqi community's emotional well-being, particularly among children and adolescents. Yazidi adolescent have faced and/or experienced inconceivable trauma. The ongoing genocide of the Yazidi people and has been compared to the Holocaust Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder among Yazidi adolescents in Duhok city camps, and to figure out the association between PTSD with certain socio-demographic characteristics. Method: The current study used a cross-sectional design with a sample of 252 teenagers aged 15 to 21 years old who were randomly selected from governmental secondary schools in Duhok city among the internally displaced Yazidi. Participants were interviewed using a self-administered questionnaire that included sociodemographic information and a DSM-IV scale for post-traumatic stress disorder. Results: The study showed that 13.7% of adolescents reported mild PTSD, 50.8% showed moderate, 31.3% revealed severe PTSD, while 4.2% of adolescents suffering from very severe PTSD. The results showed a significant association between the PTSD with age of adolescents and family monthly income, the educational level of mother. On other hand, there was not significant associated between PTSD and gender among Yazidi adolescents. Conclusions and Recommendations: According to the findings of the current study, there is a strong link between the occurrence of PTSD and the studied characteristics of adolescent age, mother education level, and family monthly income. Other characteristics, such as the father's educational level and gender, did not have a significant correlation with the occurrence of PTSD. The critical need for Yazidi adolescents and their families to receive prompt intervention in the case of a trauma in order to lower the level of PTSD. School counselors receive training on PTSD, including how to recognize it early and treat it, as well as work to educate and train kids on how to deal with these problems before, during, and during a traumatic event. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) must change their strategies