Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in Patients with Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury

ABSTRACT Introduction Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that may develop after exposure to a traumatic event. Patients of traumatic spinal cord injuries are at risk of developing PTSD, and diagnosing this disorder and recognizing risk factors is important for effective treatment. Objective To determine the prevalence of PTSD in post-traumatic spinal cord injury patients and correlate the presence of PTSD to factors such as age, cause of injury, and level of injury. Methods A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted at Paraplegic Center in Peshawar, Pakistan. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition (DSM-5) was used to assess the presence of post-traumatic stress disorder in patients at the Paraplegic Center. The study was carried out from 20 December 2014 to 20 February 2015 on a convenience sample of 51 patients. The criterion for inclusion in the study was to have a traumatic spinal cord injury, while the exclusion criterion was to have a spinal cord injury that was non-traumatic in nature. Results Out of 51 patients, 31% met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD. The age group of 15-24 years had a 27% prevalence of PTSD, while the age groups of 25-34 years and 35-44 years had a PTSD prevalence of 42% and 40% respectively. Patients who had fallen from a height had the highest prevalence of PTSD – 41%, as compared to patients who had other causes of traumatic spinal cord injury. Patients with a lumbar spinal lesion had a PTSD prevalence of 44%, whereas patients with a cervical and thoracic spinal lesion had a PTSD prevalence of 33% and 25% respectively. Conclusion The study shows that the middle age groups had a higher prevalence of PTSD, and patients who had fallen from a height had the highest prevalence of PTSD. Lumbar spinal lesion patients had a higher prevalence of PTSD than patients who had spinal lesions at the cervical or thoracic level.