Psychiatric morbidity in bus crews following violent assault: a follow-up study.
In a prospective study 22 bus crews who were victims of physical assault were assessed using standardized psychiatric instruments, followed up for 18 months and compared to a non-assaulted control group drawn from the same bus garage. At initial assessment the assaulted group, compared to the controls showed a significant increase in psychiatric impairment and distress (as measured by the GHQ-30 and IES respectively), with 23% of assault victims developing post-traumatic stress disorder as defined by DSM-III-R. At follow-up, while high levels of both psychiatric impairment and distress persisted there was evidence that they may be separate phenomena.
Fisher
N
N
Maudsley Hospital, London.
Jacoby
R
R
D000328:Adult; D003415:Crime; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology