title: Psychological correlates of PTSD symptoms following stroke.
abstract: This study assessed associations between a number of demographic, medical and psychological risk factors and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms following stroke. Individuals (N = 102) who had experienced a stroke within the previous year participated in the study. Participants completed questionnaires containing measures of PTSD symptoms and a range of psychological risk factors (i.e., anxiety, depression, negative affect, dissociation, cognitive appraisals). Regression analyses revealed the variables under consideration were able to explain large proportions of the variance in the number (R(2) = .54, p < 0.001) and severity (R(2) = .58, p < 0.001) of PTSD symptoms. Number of strokes, negative affect and cognitive appraisals emerged as significant predictors of both the number and severity of PTSD symptoms. The present findings suggest that a significant proportion of stroke patients may benefit from the detection and treatment of PTSD symptoms.
authors.affiliation: University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
authors.forename: Charlotte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Merriman
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Norman
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Barton
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001007:Anxiety; D003863:Depression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D013222:State Medicine; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D020521:Stroke / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom