Citation

Blanchard EB, Hickling EJ, Barton KA, Taylor AE, Loos WR, Jones-Alexander J. Behav. Res. Ther. 1996; 34(10): 775-786.

Affiliation

Center for Stress and Anxiety Disorders, University at Albany-SUNY 12203, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1996, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

8952120

Abstract

One-hundred and thirty-two victims of motor vehicle accidents (MVAs), who sought medical attention as a result of the MVA, were assessed at three points in time: 1-4 months post-MVA, 6 months later, and 12 months later. Of the 48 who met the full criteria for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) initially, half had remitted at least in part by the 6-month follow-up point and two-thirds had remitted by the 1-yr follow-up. Using logistic regression, 3 variables combined to correctly identify 79% of remitters and non-remitters at the 12-month follow-up point: initial scores on the irritability and foreshortened future symptoms of PTSD and the initial degree of vulnerability the subject felt in a motor vehicle after the MVA. Four variables combined to predict 64% of the variance in the degree of post-traumatic stress symptoms at 12 months: presence of alcohol abuse and/or an Axis-II disorder at the time of the initial assessment as well as the total scores on the hyperarousal and on avoidance symptoms of PTSD present at the initial post-MVA assessment.

Language: en