The comparison of the severity of depression symptoms and the speed of information processing among patients with post-traumatic stress disorder and normal people

The purpose of this study was to comparison of the severity of depression symptoms and the speed of information processing among patients with post-traumatic stress disorder and normal adolescents. The research design was causal-comparative. The research population consisted of normal adolescents and adolescents with post-traumatic stress disorder in the city of Karaj in the winter of 2018. The sample consisted of 52 participants (26 patients with post-traumatic stress disorder and 26 normal people) which were selected by Convenience method, and matched according to age and gender. Data were collected from child depression inventory (CDI) and WISC-IV Test. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). The findings showed that in comparison with normal people, patients with post-traumatic stress disorder show a higher level of negative mood, higher self-esteem and inefficiency, and lower processing speed. However, there was no difference between the two groups in terms of lack of pleasure and Relationship problems. Therefore, it can be concluded that in comparison with normal adolescents, adolescents with post-traumatic stress disorder are more prone to experiencing mood symptoms and cognitive problems such as weaknesses in information processing. As a result, attention to these issues is essential in the treatment of people with posttraumatic stress disorder.