@article{ref1,
title="Analysis of the longitudinal course of PTSD in 716 survivors of 10 disasters",
journal="Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology",
year="2013",
author="North, Carol S. and Oliver, Julianne",
volume="48",
number="8",
pages="1189-1197",
abstract="PURPOSE: Identification of consistent predictors of the temporal course of PTSD has been hampered by non-uniform definitions of onset and remission. Onset and remission of PTSD based on different definitions were examined in a large database of systematically assessed disaster survivors. METHODS: Directly exposed survivors of 10 disasters were studied within approximately 3 months of the disasters and again 1-3 years later, using consistent methods including full diagnostic assessment, allowing aggregation of data from different disasters into a unified database of 716 survivors. RESULTS: Application of existing definitions of PTSD onset and remission uncovered problems with definitions based on diagnostic threshold as well as onset/remission of symptoms. Few predictors of timing of onset and PTSD remission were identified. Regardless, PTSD symptom group C was found to be pivotal to processes involved in both onset and remission of the disorder. CONCLUSIONS: Research findings related to the onset and remission of PTSD are highly dependent on the definition used. Both symptom-based and diagnostic threshold-based definitions are problematic. Definitions of the onset and remission of PTSD might be more effectively based on the onset and remission of group C symptoms.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0933-7954",
doi="10.1007/s00127-012-0639-x",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00127-012-0639-x"
}