Eureka! Institutional Repository

Introduction: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder developed by people who have been through a traumatic experience. The war that is being conducted for the past few years in the eastern countries could be considered one such experience, and the same could be said for the journey from these countries to Greece. Objective: The purpose of this research paper is to determine the existence, or not, of PTSD among Arabic-speaking refugees, who originate from these countries. What is more, the severity score of those suffering from the current psychiatric disease will also be recorded, in order to understand the extent of this problem among the refugee population. Methods: This research paper involved the participation of 91 Arabic-speaking refugees, all located in a camp in northern Greece. The deciding factor of choice for this camp was that it was easily accessible for the research team. The tool that was used for the gathering of data was the civilian version of PTSD CheckList (PCL-C), with the addition of an introduction to the research, and two questions regarding the gender and age of the participants. The tool was translated in the Arabic language. The sample consisted of Arabic-speaking refugees, aged 18 years and above, regardless of gender. The result evaluation was conducted via use of DSM-IV criteria, and Microsoft Office Excel along with SPSS were employed for the analysis. Results: The definite existence of PTSD was discovered in the sample, afflicting both genders, with males suffering the most. In addition, the severity score was recorded to be significantly elevated for the majority of the participants. Finally, the most vulnerable age group was the same for both genders, featuring people between the ages of 35 and 44 years. Conclusion: The findings of this research demonstrated that the traumatic experiences suffered by these refugees, on their journey to Greece, had a severe impact. It is imperative that all refugees suffering from this disorder be diagnosed in time, and receive appropriate treatment.