Effect of childhood trauma experiences on post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in military officers at high altitude: mediating role of parent-child alienation

To explore the current status of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms among military officers at high altitude, determine the effects of childhood trauma experiences on the symptoms, and investigate the role of parent-child alienation in the process.

A cross-section study was conducted on 238 male military officers at high altitude subjected with cluster sampling. All of them were surveyed with childhood trauma question (CTQ), inventor of alienation toward parents (IAP), and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL-C) in October 2021. Then the mediating effect of parent-child alienation on childhood trauma and PTSD symptoms was investigated.

① The prevalence of PTSD-positive symptoms was 8.5% among the military officers at high altitude.②The prevalence of PTSD-positive symptoms was 15.6% for the military officers with childhood trauma, which was significantly higher than that of those without childhood trauma (5.1%, Chi-square=7.27, P < 0.01).③PTSD symptoms, childhood trauma experiences and parent-child alienation were significantly positively correlated with each other (r=0.35~0.76, P < 0.01).④Both childhood physical abuse (β=1.05, P < 0.001) and parent-child alienation (β=0.39, P < 0.01) could positively predict the severity of PTSD symptoms for them.⑤Parent-child alienation played a partial mediating role in the association between physical abuse and PTSD symptoms (β=1.16, 95%CI: 0.54~1.75).

Military officers at high altitude with childhood trauma have a higher prevalence of PTSD-positive symptoms and more severe symptoms. Childhood physical abuse can not only directly affect PTSD symptoms, but also indirectly affect its severity through parent-child alienation.