Adverse Childhood Experiences Among Patients with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Special Focus on Kashmir Valley

Abstract

The stress that results from traumatic events triggers a wide spectrum of psycho-emotional and physiological outcomes. PTSD is a psychological condition that results from the experience or witnessing of traumatic events. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) increase the risk factor and vulnerability to developing PTSD symptoms, as found in a vast literature. The present study aims to investigate the pattern of ACEs among patients with PTSD. A cross-sectional study, and a sample of 60 patients (male=42; female=18) diagnosed with PTSD by using a purposive sampling method. The World Health Organization (WHO) Adverse Childhood Experiences International Questionnaire (ACEs- IQ) was used to assess ACEs among patients diagnosed with PTSD and PCL-5 for PTSD symptoms. Result findings indicated that 90.4% reported having experienced childhood experience (ACEs); the commonest ACEs reported was community violence experienced by 88.7% of patients, followed by collective violence by 81.7%. A significant positive relationship was found between emotional neglect and PTSD symptoms.