Page 140 - GHES-3-2

Global Health Economics and
Sustainability
The impact of PTSD on memory and cognition

avoid thoughts, feelings, and conversations about the with tackling their negative memories and feelings about
earthquake. This finding affirms the results reported by the event and ignore the means of decreasing their pain
previous studies that PTSD sufferers practice avoidance. (Bryant et al., 1999; Saxe & Mino, 2004).
Of the participants in groups B and C, 90% of the girls However, several limitations of the study must be
reported recurring anxiety compared to only 70% of the acknowledged. First, a single researcher conducted the
boys. Perhaps, this outcome could be attributed to the entire study, including its initial conception and design,
expressive nature of girls and their openness to candidly establishing its methodology, accomplishing all relevant
inscribing their feelings and thoughts. These results tasks, performing the analyses, ascertaining and discussing
could also stem from the fact that women represent the the results, and deriving the conclusions. Second, the study
population segment most susceptible to the psychosomatic data obtained from the PTSD questionnaire and writing
effects in the aftermath of earthquakes (Breslau et al., manual exercises were based on self-assessment and self-
1997). The answers tendered by groups B and C during the reflection. Thus, the facts, symptoms, and other information
writing manual exercises are much more emotional than collected from the adolescent participants of this study
the responses by the adolescent participants in group A. It could diverge from reality. Third, some words or meanings
is evident as expected that the participants designated to may be lost in translation because the study was conducted
groups B and C suffered some form of trauma that group A in Urdu. Fourth, certain results could not be calculated due
respondents did not experience.
to the characteristics of the writing manual exercises: it is
The results illuminate that the writing manual exerted impossible to compute the thoughts and feelings expressed
a positive impact on the adolescent earthquake victims. by individuals during the writing tasks. Such expressive
The participants in control group A also benefited from written exercises cannot be compared and contrasted
the intervention; however, the members of groups B and against each other. Finally, control group A was not tested in
C benefited more. Clearly, an intervention is required for the same setting as groups B and C. Hence, the comparative
Pakistani adolescents who experienced the adverse effects results may not be as reliable due to environmental factors.
of the earthquake. The writing manual was extremely Overall, the scores revealed an improvement between
helpful as an intervention because it helped the adolescent PTSD I and PTSD II: the overall scores of PTSD II
participants express their feelings without upsetting them. decreased, indicating an alleviation of PTSD symptoms
Thus, they felt lighter and better.
after the manual was applied.
The neural networks involved in PTSD entail intricate
exchanges between the amygdala, hypothalamus, pituitary, 5. Conclusion
and thalamus. PTSD-induced chemical reactions in the PTSD is generally underdiagnosed in Pakistan.
hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis result in dysregulation Moreover, no suitable and verified intervention system
of stress hormones, particularly cortisol, which can impair exists in Pakistan that can be massively administered
memory and cognition by altering synaptic plasticity and in the aftermath of a disaster. The effects of the Pakistan
hippocampal functioning. The present analysis included earthquake elucidate the substantively inferior quality of
correlation coefficients and regression equations to evaluate Pakistan’s mental health system compared to the structures
the relationships between PTSD symptoms and memory established in developed countries. Perhaps, this deficiency
function. Relevant scatterplots and regression equations exists because Pakistan must focus primarily on issues such
are presented to substantiate the observed correlations. as housing, food, employment, and electricity; thus, mental
Many participants appeared to transform their health difficulties are not considered necessary for survival.
emotional pain into physical discomfort during the writing Mental health professionals in Pakistan should prepare for
manual sessions. They complained about headaches, all types of future disasters. In the context of the Pakistan
backaches, or other physical ailments. Perhaps, this earthquake, mental health professionals must administer
transfiguration occurred because Pakistanis are not interventions to help adolescents with PTSD. This study
accustomed to oral or written therapy and do not know has evidenced an intervention that is advantageous and
how to express emotional pain. Furthermore, PTSD may improves both PTSD and memory. Studies conducted
be connected to heightened severity of pain in multiple on the Bam earthquake have also indicated that Western
ways. Amplified stress, worry, or apprehension can increase therapies and interventions can be successful (Emami et al.,
pain sensitivity (Bryant et al., 1999). The capacity of PTSD 2005). Perhaps, such an intervention has not been adopted
sufferers to handle pain may also be hindered by their in Pakistan on a large scale because Pakistani culture
personal awareness of pain. Moreover, adolescents who is unfamiliar with oral or written therapy. In general,
have suffered such a catastrophe become too preoccupied Pakistanis believe that their feelings should be repressed

Volume 3 Issue 2 (2025) 132 https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.5121