Depression, Anxiety, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Following Orthopedic War Injuries

Abstract

Introduction There are ongoing wars worldwide, during which significant numbers of people are injured. Several studies have indicated that high rates of depression and anxiety are seen in war-injured patients. Methods Eighty-one male patients treated between November 2019 and January 2021 far from home in a Turkish hospital due to war injuries that happened in the Libyan Civil War were investigated. Demographic characteristics and injury data of the patients were evaluated regarding age, Injury Severity Score (ISS), location of injuries, type and mechanism of injuries, operations, and accompanying traumas. The psychological statuses of the patients were evaluated with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) records filled out at the first admission to the hospital. Results The mean age of the patients was 29.8 +/- 7.7 (19-56) years. While 59 patients had fractures, 22 patients had only soft tissue injuries. Eighteen patients suffered from other accompanying injuries. While 85.2% of the patients showed symptoms of depression, 82.7% of the patients suffered from anxiety and PTSD symptoms were seen in 86.4% of the patients. Statistical analysis was performed to investigate the effects of injury severity, duration of hospitalization, number of operations, and age on depression, anxiety, and PTSD among these patients with war injuries. The results did not indicate any significant effect of injury severity, hospitalization duration, or operations. Conclusion Depression, anxiety, and PTSD are common in patients injured in wars. Injury severity does not seem to affect depression, anxiety, or PTSD in these patients.