TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2014//
TI  - Posttraumatic stress symptoms in older adults hospitalized for fall injury
JO  - General hospital psychiatry
A1  - Jayasinghe, Nimali
A1  - Sparks, Martha A.
A1  - Kato, Kaori
A1  - Wyka, Katarzyna
A1  - Wilbur, Kaitlyn
A1  - Chiaramonte, Gabrielle
A1  - Barie, Philip S.
A1  - Lachs, Mark S.
A1  - O'Dell, Michael
A1  - Evans, Arthur
A1  - Bruce, Martha L.
A1  - Difede, Joann
SP  - 669
EP  - 673
VL  - 36
IS  - 6
N2  - OBJECTIVE: Although unintentional falls may pose a threat of death or injury, few studies have investigated their psychological impact on older adults. This study sought to gather data on early posttraumatic stress symptoms in older adults in the hospital setting after a fall. <br><br>METHOD: Participants in this study were 100 adults age 65 years or older admitted to a large urban hospital in New York City because of a fall. Men and women were represented approximately equally in the sample; most were interviewed within days of the fall event. The study's bedside interview included the Posttraumatic Stress Symptom Scale, which inquires about the presence and severity of 17 trauma-related symptoms. <br><br>RESULTS: Twenty-seven participants reported substantial posttraumatic stress symptoms (moderate or higher severity). Exploratory bivariate analyses suggested an association between posttraumatic stress symptom severity and female gender, lower level of education, unemployment, number of medical conditions, and back/chest injury. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: A significant percentage of older patients hospitalized after a fall suffer substantial posttraumatic stress. Future investigations are needed to assess the association between the psychiatric impact of a fall and short-term inpatient outcomes as well as longer-term functional outcomes.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0163-8343
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2014.08.003
ID  - ref1
ER  -