Assessment of posttraumatic stress disorder four and one-half years after the Iraqi invasion

In the earliest formulations of posttraumatic stress (PTS) and even posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), it was clear that war could engender PTSD within both primary and secondary victims. The clinical course of PTS and PTSD is not always clear, but the disorder may persist months and even years after the precipitating traumatic event. The current study was undertaken in an effort to assess the prevalence of PTSD in a sample of 404 Kuwaiti citizens 4.5 years after the invasion and occupation of Kuwait by the Iraqi Army. Results indicate a psychometrically assessed prevalence of PTSD of 28.4%. A subsample of 195 students revealed a prevalence of 45.6%. If correct, these data are worrisome indeed and point to 1) a significant public health challenge facing the government of Kuwait, as well as, 2) the increased sensitivity of the young to traumatic stress, both personally and vicariously. Based upon the current data, there may exist a virtual epidemic of posttraumatic stress disorder within the Kuwaiti population 4.5 years after the end of the Iraqi occupation. These data argue the need for a comprehensive confirmatory epidemiological investigation in the current prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder within the Kuwaiti population so that appropriate resources may be further directed to address what may be a significant public health problem.