title: Domains of quality of life and social support across the trauma spectrum.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To systematically compare specific domains of quality of life and social support as they pertain to the full trauma spectrum of (i) healthy individuals, (ii) those with ongoing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), (iii) remitted PTSD, or (iv) those who failed to develop PTSD in spite of trauma exposure.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were from the first wave of a psychiatric epidemiological catchment area study based in Montreal, Canada (N = 2 433). PTSD diagnosis, quality of life, and social support outcomes were established by face-to-face structured interviews using standardized instruments. Outcomes were compared across the four groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Although the between-group contrasts suggested that those currently suffering from PTSD generally had a poorer quality of life across domains, the group in remission from PTSD did not. Exploratory analyses concerning subscales for quality of life showed particular impairments for specific domains dependent on PTSD diagnosis, with remitted and ongoing PTSD showing significantly different quality of life for subscales such as daily life/social relationships, spare time activities and autonomy, but similar scores for subscales of housing/neighborhood and personal relationships. Contrary to most previous findings, individuals suffering from PTSD did not report lower overall social support.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  For both outcomes of quality of life and social support, longitudinal research is required to fully understand these complex relationships as they evolve along the full trauma spectrum.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada, eva.monson@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Monson
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brunet
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Caron
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002170:Canada; D002391:Catchment Area, Health; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012923:Social Class; D012944:Social Support; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology