Psychotraumatic syndrome is a complex psychological disorder combining anxiety symptoms and memory disturbances, organised around symptoms of reliving traumatic memories. It occurs after an individual is confronted with a stressful event, usually involving a threat to life. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of psychotraumatic disorders and to identify the factors associated with the occurrence of PTSD in the psychiatric department in a country faced with the issue of terrorism.

This was a retrospective, descriptive and analytical study based on the files of DFS staff seen in the psychiatry department (N = 257) between 1st January 2010 and 1st January 2020. All DFS staff seen during the study period with a usable medical record were included in this survey. We did not include civilian patients, security guards or volunteers for the defence of the homeland in this study. Psychotraumatic disorders were diagnosed according to the diagnostic criteria of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10).

The study population was made up of more military than paramilitary personnel (52.91 % versus 47.08 %). The mean age of the population was 34.89 ± 11.98 years, with a male predominance (93.39 %) and a sex ratio of 14.11. In this study, at least one traumatic event was identified by 71.98 % of respondents, with terrorist attacks (33.46 %) being the most common. The study found a gradual increase in the frequency of consultations and in the prevalence of PTSD among FSD officers. The prevalence of psychotraumatic disorders was 34.24 %, including 28.40 % PTSD and 5.84 % ASD. Psychotraumatic disorders were associated with variables such as age≤ 30 years, rural area of assignment, being a police officer, having a length of service < 5 years, suffering a mine explosion, witnessing a fatal incident involving a colleague, suffering a terrorist attack, being a victim or a witness.

psychotraumatic disorders are on the rise in occurrence with terrorist attacks since 2015 requiring special attention among defence and security forces personnel in Burkina Faso.