title: Acute stress disorder as a predictor of post-traumatic stress disorder in physical assault victims.
abstract: The authors' objective was to examine the ability of acute stress disorder (ASD) and other trauma-related factors in a group of physical assault victims in predicting post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) 6 months later. Subjects included 214 victims of violence who completed a questionnaire 1 to 2 weeks after the assault, with 128 participating in the follow-up. Measures included the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire, the Trauma Symptom Checklist, and the Crisis Support Scale. Twenty-two percent met the full PTSD diagnosis and 22% a subclinical PTSD diagnosis. Previous lifetime shock due to a traumatic event happening to someone close, threats during the assault, and dissociation explained 56% of PTSD variance. Inability to express feelings, hypervigilance, impairment, and hopelessness explained another 15% of PTSD variance. The dissociative, the reexperiencing, the avoidant, and the arousal criteria of the ASD diagnosis correctly classified 79% of the subsequent PTSD cases.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology, University of Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: Ask
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Elklit
authors.forename: Ole
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Brink
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D040701:Stress Disorders, Traumatic, Acute / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data