Citation

Harvey AG, Bryant RA. J. Trauma. Stress 1999; 12(3): 519-525.

Affiliation

Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Australia.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1999, International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1023/A:1024723205259

PMID

10467559

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the predictors of acute stress following motor vehicle accidents (MVA). Sixty-two consecutive adult admissions to a hospital were assessed between two days and four weeks following a MVA. Participants were assessed for acute stress disorder (ASD) with a structured clinical interview and administered the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Coping Style Questionnaire, Dissociative Experiences Scale, and the Eysenck Personality Inventory. The prevalences of full and sub-syndromal ASD were 16.1% and 14.5%, respectively. BDI, history of psychiatric treatment, history of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and history of previous MVA accounted for 61% of the variance of acute stress severity. The findings indicate that predictors of acute stress severity are comparable to the predictors of PTSD and highlight the possibility of identifying those who may benefit from early treatment.

Language: en