Prevalence of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder among all Emergency Workers at Saudi Tertiary Care Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Yasser M. Alkharashi
College of Medicine, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Faisal Alrasheed
College of Medicine, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Nawaf Alhussaini
College of Medicine, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Abdulaziz Almosa
College of Medicine, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Nawaf Alkharashi
Emergency Medicine Department, Ministry of the National Guard - Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Majid Alsalamah
College of Medicine, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Emergency Medicine Department, Ministry of the National Guard - Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Aims: Our objective for this study is to assess post traumatic stress disorder and its severity point prevalence among all emergency department workers.
Study Design: A cross-sectional model is most appropriate for this study’s aims, objectives and time frame.
Place and Duration of Study: This study took place at the emergency department of King AbdulAziz Medical City (KAMC) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, between December 2021 and November 2022.
Methodology: Our study concluded 202 emergency department workers (94 men, 108 women: age range 24-60). A self-administered questionnaire consisting of two parts was distributed. The first part was demographic variables. The second part was the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 - Civilian Version (PCL-5).
Results: From our 202 ER employees, 26.7% met the criteria for PSTD. Using logistic regression, we found a relation between PTSD and verbal or physical abuse with a P value of 0.004. we also observed a significant P value of 0.018 between the age groups, indicating the younger population of our study were more prone to develop PTSD.
Conclusion: There is a concerning high prevalence of self-reported post-traumatic stress disorder among the emergency medicine department workers, including an increased number of employees having been a victim of physical assault or verbal abuse. It is crucial at the organizational level to prioritize prevention of workplace violence.
Keywords: Post traumatic stress disorder, emergency medicine department, psychiatry, occupational health, Saudi Arabia