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PubMed · 17220739

Profiling posttraumatic functional impairment.

Sonya B Norman·Murray B Stein·Jonathan R T Davidson
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Abstract

Many individuals who have been exposed to psychological trauma suffer from impaired functioning, regardless of whether they have PTSD. Our purpose was to identify a subset of PTSD symptoms linked to functional impairment to a) improve the likelihood that individuals with posttraumatic impairment receive treatment, and b) offer a method to assess cost-burden of trauma history in epidemiological studies. We examined patterns of trauma-related symptoms in two independent community surveys (N=1002 and 630). Rank ordering of symptoms and their associations with impairment guided construction of an impairment-related profile in the first data set. The profile was then tested in the second data set. The derived symptom profile, consisting of intense recollections and/or emotional symptoms upon exposure to reminders, plus one or more of numbing/detachment, avoidance, sleep problems, concentration problems, or hypervigilance, detected the majority (88% and 74%) of persons with posttraumatic functional impairment. The symptom profile can help identify traumatized individuals who may benefit from treatment but do not necessarily meet criteria for PTSD.

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Adaptation, PsychologicalData CollectionDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental DisordersHumansLife Change EventsLogistic ModelsMemoryModels, PsychologicalPsychiatric Status Rating ScalesPsychometricsRecurrenceSleep Wake DisordersSocial AdjustmentStress Disorders, Post-TraumaticStress, PsychologicalJournal Article

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Sonya B Norman, Murray B Stein, Jonathan R T Davidson. 2007. Profiling posttraumatic functional impairment.. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.nmd.0000252135.25114.02

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