TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2002//
TI  - Persistence of posttraumatic stress in violently injured youth seen in the emergency department
JO  - Archives of pediatrics and adolescent medicine
A1  - Fein, Joel A.
A1  - Kassam-Adams, Nancy
A1  - Gavin, Maureen
A1  - Huang, Rex
A1  - Blanchard, Deena
A1  - Datner, Elizabeth M.
SP  - 836
EP  - 840
VL  - 156
IS  - 8
N2  - 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 study of intentional youth violence, and assessed for posttraumatic stress symptoms up to 5 months later. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The Immediate Stress Reaction Checklist, administered during the ED visit, and the Symptom Checklist of the Child and Adolescent Trauma Survey, administered during routine telephone follow-up. RESULTS: Patients in the emergency department reported a range of acute stress symptoms on the Immediate Stress Reaction Checklist, with 25% reporting clinically significant distress. On follow-up assessment, 15% reported significant posttraumatic stress symptoms. The severity of acute stress symptoms was strongly associated with the severity of posttraumatic stress symptoms at follow-up (r = 0.55, P<.005). Age, sex, injury type, and time from injury to follow-up were not associated with the degree of acute stress or posttraumatic stress symptom severity at initial or follow-up assessment. CONCLUSION: This study provides preliminary evidence that acute stress symptoms, assessed in the ED in the immediate aftermath of a traumatic injury, are useful indicators of risk for later posttraumatic stress.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1072-4710
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/
ID  - ref1
ER  -