Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder among InternallyDisplaced Women in Sana’a City, Yemen
Background: Internally displaced persons (IDPs) often experience forced migration, loss of home and livelihood, and disruption of social networks. Women in these settings are more vulnerable to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which adversely affects their mental health. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of PTSD and examine its distribution by sociodemographic, household, and food insecurity factors among internally displaced women in Sana’a, Yemen.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 420 internally displaced women residing in Sana’a City. Participants were selected using systematic random sampling. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews conducted in the participants’ homes using a structured questionnaire. The Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ) was used to assess PTSD. Data were entered into Microsoft Excel and exported to Stata for
further analysis. Categorical variables were summarized using proportions, and variables were described using standard deviations. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05.
Results: The prevalence of PTSD among internally displaced women was 15.9%. It was significantly higher among women with chronic illnesses (29.0% vs. 13.0%, p = 0.002), women whose husbands had primary or secondary education compared with university education (20.0% and 17.6% vs. 6.7%, p = 0.024), those displaced for ≤5 years (23.9% vs. 12.1%, p = 0.002), and women experiencing severe food insecurity (17.4% vs. 7.0%, p = 0.048).
Conclusion: This study highlights a substantial burden of prevalence of PTSD among internally displaced women in Sana’a City, Yemen. Internally displaced women are highly vulnerable to PTSD owing to overlapping health, economic, and displacement-related stressors. Integrated interventions addressing mental health, chronic illness care, livelihood support, and food security are urgently needed to reduce the psychological burden on these individuals.
المقاييس
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