Heart Rate of Motor Vehicle Accident Survivors in the Emergency Department, Peritraumatic Psychological Reactions, ASD, and PTSD Severity: A 6-month Prospective Study

This brief report investigates relationships between the heart rate of motor vehicle accident survivors presenting in the emergency department (ED) and acute stress disorder (ASD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity. Also examined are relationships between survivor's ED heart rate and peritraumatic dissociation and peritraumatic distress reported 2 weeks post-trauma. 50 motor vehicle accident (MVA) survivors were assessed 2 weeks and 1 (N=42), 3 (N=37), and 6 months (N=37) post-MVA. Heart rate in the ED predicted self-reported ASD symptom severity and clinician-rated PTSD symptom severity at 6 months, but not at 1 or 3 months. Survivors' heart rate in the ED was significantly correlated with peritraumatic dissociation but not with peritraumatic distress. Findings support the role of elevated ED heart rate as a predictor of both ASD and chronic PTSD symptom severity and may help to clarify the discrepant findings of prior research.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/08949867
• Authors:
  • Kuhn, Eric
  • Blanchard, Edward B
  • Fuse, Tiffany
  • Hickling, Edward J
  • Broderick, John
• Publication Date: 2006-10

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: References;
• Pagination: pp 735-740
• Serial:
  • Journal of Traumatic Stress
  • Volume: 19
  • Issue Number: 5
  • Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated
  • ISSN: 0894-9867
  • EISSN: 1573-6598
  • Serial URL: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1573-6598

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Dissociation; Heart rate; Hospital emergency rooms; Physiological aspects; Posttraumatic stress disorder; Psychological aspects; Self describing data; Stress (Psychology); Traffic crash victims; Traffic crashes
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor; I84: Personal Injuries;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01053749
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 20 2007 9:55AM