title: The latent factor structure of acute stress disorder following bank robbery: testing alternative models in light of the pending DSM-5.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Acute stress disorder (ASD) was introduced into the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) to identify posttraumatic stress reactions occurring within the first month after a trauma and thus help to identify victims at risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Since its introduction, research into ASD has focused on the prediction of PTSD, whereas only a few studies have investigated the latent structure of ASD. Results of the latter have been mixed. In light of the current proposal for the ASD diagnosis in the pending DSM-5, there is a profound need for empirical studies that investigate the latent structure of ASD prior to the DSM-5 being finalized.
  
  
  METHODS
  Based on previous factor analytic research, the DSM-IV, and the proposed DSM-5 formulation of ASD, four different models of the latent structure of ASD were specified and estimated.
  
  
  METHODS
  The analyses were based on a national study of bank robbery victims (N = 450) using the acute stress disorder scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results of the confirmatory factor analyses showed that the DSM-IV model provided the best fit to the data. Thus, the present study suggests that the latent structure of ASD may best be characterized according to the four-factor DSM-IV model of ASD (i.e., dissociation, re-experiencing, avoidance, and arousal) following exposure to bank robbery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results are pertinent in light of the pending DSM-5 and add to the debate about the conceptualization of ASD. .
authors: Institute of Psychology, National Centre for Psychotraumatology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense M, Denmark. mhansen@health.sdu.dk
authors: Maj
authors: M
authors: Hansen
authors: Mathias
authors: M
authors: Lasgaard
authors: Ask
authors: A
authors: Elklit
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology*; D003718:Denmark; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D040701:Stress Disorders, Traumatic, Acute / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D013800:Theft / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult