Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Among Algerian Cancer Patients

Background: Cancer patients are at risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) throughout their treatment journey due to serious challenges (e.g., complex surgical interventions, severe pain, and side effects from chemotherapy or radiation therapy). This may worsen patients’ health and negatively impact their overall treatment journey and well-being. However, this area remains understudied in Algeria. Therefore, there is a need to understand the levels of PTSD symptoms and the associated factors among Algerian patients. To ensure accurate assessment and diagnosis, a validation study was conducted to confirm that the PTSD measurement instrument used was culturally appropriate for the Algerian context. The study’s main objectives were to (i) determine the prevalence of PTSD among cancer patients in Algeria, (ii) validate the Arabic DSM-5 PTSD Checklist (PCL-5) among Algerian cancer patients, and (iii) explore the associations between demographic and clinical factors and PTSD among this population. Methods: The present study was cross-sectional and comprised 370 cancer patients. All participants were patients receiving treatment in oncology wards across various hospitals. All participants completed the PCL-5. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to examine the factor structure of the PCL-5. Results: The PCL-5 was found to have a four-factor structure. Out of the 370 participants, 154 (41.6%) had PCL-5 scores below the cutoff of 31, indicating lower levels of PTSD symptoms; 216 participants (58.4%) had scores above this threshold, suggesting a likelihood of PTSD. Moreover, PTSD was significantly associated with patients' low educational attainment and more advanced stages of their disease. Conclusions: The findings indicated moderate to high PTSD symptoms among cancer patients in Algeria. Moreover, the Arabic PCL-5 demonstrated good psychometric properties confirming that it is a reliable and valid tool for assessing PTSD symptoms among Algerian cancer patients.