Association between earthquake-related posttraumatic stress disorder symptom severity and ambulatory arterial stiffness in young adults

Abstract Introduction This study explores the link between PTSD severity, measured by the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), and the ambulatory arterial stiffness index (AASI) in young adults affected by the February 6, 2023, Turkey earthquakes. Methods Our study with 192 participants divided by PCL-5 scores used an ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) device and PCL-5 to explore links between arterial stiffness and PTSD severity. Analyses included descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests, Pearson correlations, and multiple regression analyzes to identify PCL-5 predictors. Results There was no significant correlation between the AASI and PCL-5 scores ( r = -0.052, 95% CI = -0.192 to 0.090, p = 0.474). We included biological sex, age, body mass index, smoking status, 24-hour mean systolic blood pressure, and 24-hour mean diastolic blood pressure in the regression model to predict the PCL-5 score. The regression model was significant: F(6, 185) = 4.337, p < 0.001. and explained 12.3% of the variance (R 2 = 0.123 (Adjusted R 2 = 0.095)). The multivariable regression analysis showed that biological sex was a significant independent predictor of PTSD symptom severity (β = -0.309, p < 0.001), explaining the largest portion of the variance in the model (R² = 0.123). Other cardiovascular and demographic factors lost their statistical significance after adjusting for multiple comparisons. Discussion In summary, this cross‑sectional study of young, earthquake‑exposed cardiology outpatients did not find evidence for a significant association between PTSD symptom severity and ambulatory arterial stiffness as indexed by AASI. While female sex showed a robust association with higher PTSD scores.