Association Factors of Posttramatic Stress Disorder: Comparison between Student/Soldier Status and Genders

Abstract Background: The nature and course of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are important subjects of ongoing investigation and psychoeducation. Its association factors, such as depression, anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and oppositional trait, have been discussed. But the difference between groups of students and soldiers is still lacking. Methods: We recruited 1,056 soldiers from units and 1,197 students from one college in northern Taiwan. Their anonymous responses of copies of questionnaire, including depression, anxiety, recalled ADHD, oppositional trait, and clinical PTSD, were compared between gender and student/soldier status. We applied linear regression models to scrutinize the associations among those variables. Results: This study showed that about 6.5% of females and 3.2% of males met the threshold of PTSD criteria. Meanwhile, about 5.5% students and 3.7% soldiers met the threshold of copy of the PTSD questionnaire. Scores for anxiety, depression, and the subjects’ childhood oppositional trait were significantly associated with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms ( p < 0.001), but the degree of these associations varied depending on gender and student/soldier status. Recalled inattention symptoms of ADHD were primarily associated with PTSD subsymptoms of numbness and hyperarousal, whereas recalled oppositional traits showed associations with all four PTSD subsymptoms. Conclusion: In line with previous studies, this study confirms that certain youths, either soldiers or students, are suffering from clinical and subclinical PTSD symptoms. Anxiety, depression, and childhood oppositional traits were associated with these symptoms, with civilian students, especially females, being more vulnerable.