Objectives: The purpose of this study was to measure state and trait anxiety levels of veterans who developed posttraumatic stress disorder following combat or landmine injuries, or vehicle accidents.
Methods: The anxiety levels of 98 veterans (mean age 20 years; range 18 to 25 years) were measured with the use of the State-Trait Anxiety Scale (STAI I-II). Diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder was made on the basis of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM III-R.
Results: The number of patients with high levels of anxiety was not in significant relationship with education level and trauma type (p>0.05). Regardless of education levels and trauma types, the number of patients with high trait anxiety significantly outweighed the number of patients with high state anxiety (p<0.05). Trait anxiety levels differed significantly between primary school and high school graduates (p=0.03).
Conclusion: Veterans should be under close supervision to determine and treat increased anxiety which worsens the quality of life. Special attention should be paid to appropriate psychological rehabilitation throughout the treatment plan.