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Acute Psychophysiological Arousal and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Two-Year Prospective Study

  • Published:
Journal of Traumatic Stress

Abstract

This study investigated the role of acute arousal in the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Hospitalized motor vehicle accident survivors (n = 146) were assessed for acute stress disorder (ASD) within 1 month of the trauma, 6 months later, and reassessed for PTSD 2 years posttrauma (n = 87). Heart rates (HR) were assessed on the day of hospital discharge. Participants who had PTSD 2 years posttrauma had higher HR at hospital discharge than those without PTSD. A diagnosis of ASD or a resting HR of 95 beats per minute had moderate sensitivity (74%) and specificity (91%) in predicting PTSD. These findings suggest that caution is required in using acute HR as a predictor of longer-term PTSD following trauma.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

    Richard A. Bryant, Rachel M. Guthrie & Michelle L. Moulds

  2. University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom

    Allison G. Harvey

Authors
  1. Richard A. Bryant
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  2. Allison G. Harvey
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  3. Rachel M. Guthrie
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  4. Michelle L. Moulds
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Richard A. Bryant.

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Bryant, R.A., Harvey, A.G., Guthrie, R.M. et al. Acute Psychophysiological Arousal and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Two-Year Prospective Study. J Trauma Stress 16, 439–443 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025750209553

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025750209553

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