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Among 39 patients with burns evaluated a mean of 12 months after hospital discharge, 38% met DSM-III-R criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for at least 1 month. With proposed DSM-IV criteria, 43% met criteria for past or current PTSD. Analysis of specific symptom clusters of PTSD revealed that 74% of patients had been affected by a reexperience symptom for at least 1 month, but only 30% were currently experiencing flashbacks. No correlation was found between several clinical correlates (TBSA, length of hospitalization, and age) and development of PTSD. There was no correlation between presence of a DSM-III-R psychiatric diagnosis at the time of hospitalization and later development of PTSD and no correlation between whether or not a psychiatric diagnosis emerged during hospitalization and later development of PTSD. Finally, patients who had injuries that they could not prevent were no more likely to experience PTSD.
Powers et al. (Tue,) studied this question.