A 5-year longitudinal study of posttraumatic stress disorder in primary care patients.
Little is known about the clinical course of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the clinical predictors of its recovery in primary care patients. We examined 5 years of follow-up of PTSD symptoms using rates of recovery and recurrence, and the predictive value of comorbid mental disorders, treatment participation and psychosocial functioning, on PTSD recovery. We examined 199 participants with PTSD diagnoses, from the Primary Care Anxiety Disorder Project. We found that the course of PTSD in a sample of primary care patients is chronic. Survival analysis revealed that the likelihood of PTSD recovery was 38.0% and of recurrence it was 29.5%. Cox regression analyses indicated that baseline clinical variables did not have a significant relationship with probability of PTSD recovery. However, time-varying models showed that the course of psychosocial impairment was a significant predictor of the likelihood of recovery from PTSD. Findings provide initial empirical support for treatment approaches that focus on psychosocial functioning to reduce PTSD symptoms.
Department of Educational and Psychological Studies, University of Miami, 5202 University Drive, 312 Merrick Building, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA. c.perezbenitez@miami.edu
Carlos I
CI
Pérez Benítez
Caron
C
Zlotnick
Robert I
RI
Stout
Fengjuan
F
Lou
Ingrid
I
Dyck
Risa
R
Weisberg
Martin
M
Keller
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011320:Primary Health Care; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012008:Recurrence; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology