Peritraumatic Distress Inventory as a predictor of post-traumatic stress disorder after a severe motor vehicle accident.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to examine the utility of the Peritraumatic Distress Inventory (PDI) as a predictor of subsequent post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in severe motor vehicle accident survivors.


METHODS
Patients consecutively admitted to the intensive care unit were assessed immediately and 1 month after accidents in this prospective study. The predictive value for post-traumatic stress symptoms at 1 month of the PDI at initial assessment was examined by using multivariate regression analysis. Moreover, the accuracy of the PDI as a predictor of PTSD was determined using receiver operator characteristic curve analysis. Post-traumatic stress symptoms were assessed using the Impact of Event Scale - Revised questionnaire, and PTSD was assessed using the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale.


RESULTS
Seventy-nine patients completed the Impact of Event Scale - Revised questionnaire, and 64 patients participated in a structured interview. Of 64 patients, 13 met the diagnostic criteria of full or partial PTSD. The PDI was an independent predictor of post-traumatic stress symptoms (P = 0.003). The data indicated that a cut-off score of 23 maximized the balance between sensitivity (77%) and specificity (82%) in this study. Compared with negative predictive value (93%), positive predictive value was not high (53%).


CONCLUSIONS
The study suggests the predictive usefulness of the PDI for subsequent PTSD in accident survivors. Its adequate usage should be further elaborated.
Nishi
Daisuke
D
Department of Psychiatry, National Disaster Medical Center, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Matsuoka
Yutaka
Y
Yonemoto
Naohiro
N
Noguchi
Hiroko
H
Kim
Yoshiharu
Y
Kanba
Shigenobu
S
D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000523:psychology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012372:ROC Curve; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires