Cognitive and behavioral inhibition in veterans with- and without post traumatic stress disorder

The most common disorder among warriors is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Inhibition is an important concept in psychology and gets impaired in PTSD patients. This study was carried out with the aim of comparing the cognitive and behavioral inhibition in veterans with and without PTSD. This descriptive post-event study was performed on 44 veterans of the Rehabilitation Center for Veterans and the Imam Khomeini Veterans Rehabilitation Center in Mashhad in 2011. Samples were selected by available sampling method and were studied in two PTSD and non-PTSD groups. The data were evaluated using Stroop test and Go/No-go test and then were analyzed by independent T-test and MANCOVA using SPSS 16 software. The two groups had significant difference in terms of their overall performance in Stroop and Go/No-go tests. There was a significant difference in correct responses, incorrect responses and no responses in the Stroop test, and the mean reaction time of correct responses and the number of errors in Go/No-go test between the two groups (p<0.05). There was no significant difference in the reaction time of congruent words, the reaction time of incongruent words and the interference score of the Stroop test and the mean reaction time of incorrect responses in Go/No-go test (p>0.05). Behavioral inhibition is impaired in PTSD patients and is a predisposing factor of excitation, aggression, re-experiencing of the harmful event and appearance of unwanted and annoying thoughts that are considered as the major symptoms of the mentioned disorder.