A tale of internal displacement: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among school students in Swat, Pakistan

Objectives: To find the occurrence of PTSD among secondary school students of District Swat and to measure the relationship of PTSD and academic achievement of students. Methodology: This descriptive study comprised of 25 boys and girls high schools destroyed during militancy and military operation in District Swat. The sample consisted of 941 students comprising of 573 male and 368 female students. Child PTSD Symptom Scale (CPSS) was used to measure PTSD. Results: Female students developed higher PTSD as compared to male students. Most of the displaced and non-displaced students were highly affected and they developed equal amount of PTSD. PTSD had inverse correlation with the academic achievement of female and Non-displaced students. Conclusions: Female students developed higher PTSD and it has inverse correlation with the academic achievement of students. Key words: PTSD, academic achievement, internal displacement, secondary schools, militancy in Swat.