Posttraumatic stress disorder among bereaved relatives of cancer patients.
The aim of this study was to assess post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and predictors of PTSD in individuals who experienced the loss of a close relative to cancer. A total of 251 bereaved relatives ages 14 to 76 (M = 41.3, SD = 16.8) were recruited at a counseling service for cancer patients and their relatives. The prevalence of current probable PTSD was 40% in the bereaved sample. A hierarchical logistic regression analysis indicated that full-time employment, perceived control, and a secure attachment style moderated the risk for PTSD. Moreover, a long period of caretaking, high levels of somatization, and dissociation were all associated with an increased risk of PTSD.
Elklit
Ask
A
National Center for Psychotraumatology, SDU, Odense, Denmark. aelklit@health.sdu.dk
Reinholt
Nina
N
Nielsen
Louise Hjort
LH
Blum
Alon
A
Lasgaard
Mathias
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001601:Bereavement; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000451:nursing*; D015995:Prevalence; D012306:Risk; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*