title: Posttraumatic stress disorder in hospitalized terrorist bombing attack victims.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that results from exposure to a traumatic event and consists of intrusive and unwanted recollections; avoidance followed by emotional withdrawal; and heightened physiologic arousal. Hospitalized victims of suicide bombing attacks (SBAs) are unique because of the circumstances and severity of their injuries, which could affect the occurrence and delay the recognition of PTSD. Our objectives were to evaluate the prevalence and severity of PTSD among hospitalized SBA victims and to assess variables of physical injury as risk factors for the development of PTSD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-six hospitalized SBA victims were evaluated for PTSD using the PTSD symptom scale self-report questionnaire by phone. Demographic and medical data regarding the severity and type of injury and medical treatment were collected from medical files. Injury Severity Score was used to assess severity of physical injury.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-four of 46 (52.2%) hospitalized SBA victims developed PTSD. Presence of blast lung injury was significantly higher in the PTSD group compared with the non-PTSD group (37.5% versus 9.1%, respectively; p < 0.04). There was no significant difference in Injury Severity Score between PTSD and non-PTSD groups. Blast lung injury and intracranial injury were found to be positive predictors of PTSD (odds ratio, 125 and 25, respectively). No correlation was found between the length of stay, length of intensive care unit stay, or severity of physical injuries and the severity of PTSD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hospitalized victims of SBA are considerably vulnerable to develop PTSD. Victims should be monitored closely and treated in conjunction with their physical treatment. Blast lung injury and intracranial injury are predictors of PTSD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery and Trauma Unit, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: Noam
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shussman
authors.forename: Ayelet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mintz
authors.forename: Gideon
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zamir
authors.forename: Arye
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shalev
authors.forename: Mahmoud Abu
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Gazala
authors.forename: Avraham I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Rivkind
authors.forename: Yonatan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Isenberg
authors.forename: Miklosh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bala
authors.forename: Gidon
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Almogy
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001753:Blast Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D005107:Explosions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D007297:Inpatients / Q000523:psychology*; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D023481:Terrorism / Q000523:psychology*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*