Impact of war stress on posttraumatic stress symptoms in hospital personnel

Objective: This study examines the relationship between exposure to war stress and posttraumatic symptoms among nurses and physicians in a general hospital targeted by missiles. Method: Hospital staff who were exposed to missile attacks and casualties of war, both military and civilians (n=80), were assessed for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms a month after the war between Lebanon and Israel erupted (during the last days of the war). Results: High levels of PTSD symptoms were found in 10.5% of physicians and 35.7% of nurses. Logistic regression analysis showed that nurses had an increased risk for PTSD in comparison to physicians (odds ratio=5.28). Conclusion: These findings show that nurses suffered from more severe posttraumatic symptoms compared to physicians after exposure to prolonged war stress. The gap between physicians and nurses warrants further study.