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Acute Stress Disorder as a Predictor of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Physical Assault Victims

NCJ Number
223766
Journal
Journal of Interpersonal Violence Volume: 19 Issue: 6 Dated: June 2004 Pages: 709-726
Author(s)
Ask Elklit; Ole Brink
Date Published
June 2004
Length
18 pages
Annotation
The purpose of this study was to assess the ability of an acute stress disorder (ASD) diagnosis and other trauma-related factors to predict later posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in physical assault victims who seek treatment at an emergency ward.
Abstract
The study provides evidence that a combination of acute stress disorder (ASD) clusters predicted posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in physical assault victims. The prevalence of ASD was approximately the same as PTSD at 6 months, and the symptom level is comparable with most other studies in the field. The overall results support that injured PA victims are at a considerable risk for developing subclinical and full PTSD. The four symptom clusters of the ASD diagnosis appear to be an efficient tool to identify those who are at risk shortly after the assault. With a study sample of 214 physical assault victims of violence, this study’s objective was to examine the ability of ASD and other trauma-related factors in predicting PTSD 6 months later. Physical assault is defined as the intentional harm to the body caused by another person. Tables, appendix and references

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