Post-traumatic stress disorders suffered by faculty members in Iraqi universities, a field study

Abstract

The study aimed to identify post-traumatic stress for faculty members in Iraqi universities and to compare them according to the two variables (type, and the number of times of exposure to events).

A scale was prepared for this purpose, and the validity and stability of the scale were confirmed. Then, the scale consisting of (60) items was applied to a sample consisting of (478) faculty members from Iraqi universities. After analyzing the results, it was concluded that 68.4% of the faculty members suffer from symptoms Post-traumatic stress, and 5.4% of them suffer from acute traumatic stress disorder, and females suffer more than males. And 12.5% of faculty members do not suffer from these symptoms. And that 84% of them witnessed painful events that affected their lives, 66% of them witnessed an explosive or sticky device detonating in front of them, 46% witnessed a car bomb explode, 43% shells and Katyusha rockets fell on their homes or workplaces, and 36% of them had a close family member, such as a husband or father, assassinated. Or a brother, son, or one of their close friends, and 19% had their house raided by unknown militias, and 19% of them had a family member kidnapped, 17% had been threatened by unknown parties, and 14% had been forcibly displaced from their homes. These painful events had a great impact on the lives of faculty members, and the suffering continued with them, due to the continuing increase in violence, murder, and kidnapping. The individuals who were exposed to more than (5) times of the traumatic events were more suffering than the individuals who were not exposed to the traumatic events.

They showed signs of post-traumatic stress, most notably, continuous recollection of traumatic events, avoidance of traumatic events, hypervigilance, physical and organic symptoms and diseases, psychological and emotional reactions, and poor social participation. The study concluded a number of recommendations.