OBJECTIVE To determine if symptoms of posttraumatic stress, initially evaluated in the emergency department (ED) setting, persist over time. DESIGN Prospective cohort study. SETTING Two urban, academic medical center EDs. PATIENTS Sixty-nine injured patients, aged 12 to 24 years, were assessed for acute posttraumatic stress symptoms at the time of their enrollment in an ongoing ED-based s...

BACKGROUND Quality of life (QoL) may often be reduced in survivors of a natural disaster. This paper investigated how posttraumatic growth (PTG), depression and posttraumatic stress interact and independently predict QoL in a longitudinal study of disaster survivors. METHODS A total of 58 Norwegian adults who were present in Khao Lak, Thailand at the time of the 2004 Southeast Asia Tsunami co...

BACKGROUND This study was designed to examine the relationship between urinary hormone levels collected upon admission to the trauma unit following a motor vehicle accident and posttraumatic stress disorder symptomatology 1 month later. METHODS Fifteen-hour urine samples were collected from 63 male and 36 female motor vehicle accident victims and were used to assess levels of catecholamines a...

Posttraumatic empyema is a rare complication of trauma with an incidence of 1.6-2.4% in trauma patients. However, it is rarely reported in children. We report the case of a 15-year-old boy who was involved in a traffic accident and diagnosed with a pulmonary contusion at a local hospital. Fourteen days after the accident, posttraumatic empyema thoracis and lung abscess developed with clinical p...

post-traumatic stress disorder (ptsd) is a common mental health condition among military veterans, and research indicates that lifetime prevalence rates of ptsd among military veterans are higher than that of the general population (samhsa, 2007). the treatment of ptsd is often complicated by issues of comorbidity, such as substance use disorders, and treatment outcomes are poorer when comorbid...

trauma and stressor related disorders include disorders in which exposure to a traumatic or stressful event is listed explicitly as a diagnostic criterion. these include reactive attachment disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder (ptsd), acute stress disorder, and adjustment disorders. psychological distress following exposure to a traumatic or stressful event is quite variable. in some cases, ...

There is a paucity of research investigating the relationship of community-level characteristics such as collective efficacy and posttraumatic stress following disasters. We examine the association of collective efficacy with probable posttraumatic stress disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder symptom severity in Florida public health workers (n = 2249) exposed to the 2004 hurricane season ...

BACKGROUND The increasing rate of comorbid posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms among young adults presents a unique symptom presentation and challenges to treatment. The current study examined psychosocial barriers--external locus of control-- and facilitators-- social support-- in the posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms association. METHODS The current cross-sectional study...

CONTEXT No large-scale posttraumatic stress disorder drug trials have been conducted to evaluate treatment effects beyond 12 weeks outside of those with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy of venlafaxine extended release (ER), a serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, in posttraumatic stress disorder. DESIGN 6-month, double-blind, placebo-control...