Posttraumatic stress disorder in adolescents of Pakistan: 2 years following the 2022 torrential flood.

Objective

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and predictors of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among adolescents in Taunsa City, District Dera Ghazi Khan, Southern Punjab, Pakistan, following the catastrophic 2022 torrential flood.

Method

A total of 450 adolescents were recruited using a multistage sampling method and the Krejcie and Morgan technique.

Results

Findings revealed a substantial psychological impact of the flood, with 44.2% reporting moderate PTSD symptoms and 33.8% severe. Using Foa's cutoff of 31, 85.3% met or exceeded the clinical threshold. Hierarchical regression showed that gender significantly predicted PTSD symptoms in Step 1 (β = .22, p < .001, R² = .05) but became nonsignificant after adding other predictors. Anger (β = .51, p < .001) and experiential avoidance (β = .21, p < .001) were significant positive predictors, with the final model explaining 34% of the variance. Age was not significant (β = .01, p > .05), likely due to the narrow age range of 12-18 years.

Conclusions

The study underscores the importance of integrating these psychological factors into counseling and therapeutic strategies to support PTSD recovery among flood-affected adolescents. These findings emphasize the urgency of single-session therapies as the first psychological aid in postdisaster mental health support. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).