Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Among Adolescent Girls Infected with COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Study

ABSTRACT

Background: Pandemics are known to cause an increase in the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The current COVID-19 pandemic has led to a surge in the same along with other problems such as anxiety and depression. Aim(s) To find out the prevalence of PTSD and other mental health abnormalities among adolescent girls who have contracted COVID-19 infection and the factors associated with it. Method(s) This was a cross-sectional study carried out for 6 months at RL Jalappa Hospital and Research Center, Kolar. Adolescent girls infected with COVID-19 were included. A total of 100 girls took part in the study after matching inclusion and exclusion criteria. To assess for PTSD, the Mini International Neuropsychiatry Interview-KID (MINI-KID) and CPSS-5 Interviewer Version (CPSS 5-I) questionnaire were used. Data entered in Microsoft office excel were analyzed using SPSS v 22 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). To check for the association between factors, chi-square test was applied. Result(s) The majority of girls were aged 18 years, belonged to nuclear families, and had a hospital stay for 7 days to14 days. About 15% of the girls had PTSD diagnosed using two tools. Panic disorder and separation anxiety were commonly seen. Duration of COVID symptoms adolescent girls had before being diagnosed with COVID-19 by RT-PCR and duration of the hospital stay along with symptoms like throat pain, headache, and diarrhea were a few clinical factors that had a statistically significant association with PTSD. Mental health screening seems to be disregarded in COVID-19 cases. COVID-19 can be a traumatic stressor event among adolescents which can elicit PTSD-like responses and also exacerbate mental health problems. Conclusion(s) Early screening for PTSD or other mental health abnormalities among adolescents post COVID-19 infection should be considered. Copyright © 2022 Indian Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, unless otherwise noted. Manuscript content on this site is licensed under Creative Commons Licenses.