Assessing Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms in Medical Students of Larkana Using The PCL-5 Scale: A Cross-Sectional Study
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Background: Post-traumatic stress symptoms may impair psychological well-being, academic functioning, sleep, concentration, and clinical performance among healthcare students, yet local evidence from resource-limited medical education settings in Pakistan remains limited. Objective: To assess the distribution and severity of post-traumatic stress symptoms among healthcare students in Larkana using the DSM-5-aligned PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 and to examine their association with gender, academic department, and age group. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study was conducted from March to May 2025 at a public sector medical university in Larkana, Sindh, Pakistan. A total of 324 students from MBBS, BDS, DPT, Nursing, and Pharmacy programs completed the 20-item PCL-5, rated on a five-point Likert scale. Associations between demographic variables and item-level symptom severity were analyzed using chi-square tests with Monte Carlo exact significance; effect sizes were estimated using Cramér’s V, and post-hoc column proportion tests were applied where appropriate. Results: Complete PCL-5 data were available for all participants. Females showed consistently higher symptom severity across PCL-5 items, with large gender-associated effects (Cramér’s V=0.708–0.720). Departmental differences were moderate, with MBBS students showing greater symptom burden across several domains (Cramér’s V=0.454–0.469). Students aged 18–21 years accounted for the highest proportion of severe intrusion, concentration difficulty, and sleep disturbance, although ordinal age trends were non-significant. Conclusion: Post-traumatic stress symptoms were common and unevenly distributed among healthcare students, with greater symptom concentration among female students, MBBS students, and those aged 18–21 years. Institution-based confidential screening, early counseling, and targeted support for cognitive-emotional and hyperarousal symptoms are warranted.
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