title: Posttraumatic stress symptoms in older adults hospitalized for fall injury.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Although unintentional falls may pose a threat of death or injury, few studies have investigated their psychological impact on older adults. This study sought to gather data on early posttraumatic stress symptoms in older adults in the hospital setting after a fall.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants in this study were 100 adults age 65 years or older admitted to a large urban hospital in New York City because of a fall. Men and women were represented approximately equally in the sample; most were interviewed within days of the fall event. The study's bedside interview included the Posttraumatic Stress Symptom Scale, which inquires about the presence and severity of 17 trauma-related symptoms.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-seven participants reported substantial posttraumatic stress symptoms (moderate or higher severity). Exploratory bivariate analyses suggested an association between posttraumatic stress symptom severity and female gender, lower level of education, unemployment, number of medical conditions, and back/chest injury.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A significant percentage of older patients hospitalized after a fall suffer substantial posttraumatic stress. Future investigations are needed to assess the association between the psychiatric impact of a fall and short-term inpatient outcomes as well as longer-term functional outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, USA. Electronic address: nij2001@med.cornell.edu.
authors.forename: Nimali
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jayasinghe
authors.affiliation: Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Martha A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Sparks
authors.affiliation: Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Kaori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.affiliation: Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wyka
authors.affiliation: Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Kaitlyn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wilbur
authors.affiliation: Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Gabrielle
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chiaramonte
authors.affiliation: Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Philip S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Barie
authors.affiliation: Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Mark S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Lachs
authors.affiliation: Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: O'Dell
authors.affiliation: Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Arthur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.affiliation: Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Martha L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Bruce
authors.affiliation: Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: JoAnn
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Difede
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D019567:Back Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D009519:New York City / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013898:Thoracic Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices; D014478:Unemployment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Acute stress; Fall accidents; Older adults; Posttraumatic stress; Traumatic injury