Trauma exposure characteristics, past traumatic life events, coping strategies, posttraumatic stress disorder, and psychiatric comorbidity among people with anaphylactic shock experience

Document Type

Article

Source of Publication

Comprehensive Psychiatry

Publication Date

7-1-2011

Abstract

Objectives: This study investigated the interrelationship between trauma exposure characteristics, past traumatic life events, coping strategies, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and psychiatric comorbidity among people after anaphylactic shock experience. Method: The design was cross-sectional in that 94 people with anaphylactic shock experience responded to a postal survey. They completed the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist, the General Health Questionnaire 28, and the COPE Scale. They also answered questions on trauma exposure characteristics. The control group comprised 83 people without anaphylaxis. Results: Twelve percent of people with anaphylactic shock experience fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for full PTSD. As a group, people with anaphylaxis reported significantly more past traumatic life events and psychiatric comorbidity than did the control. Partial least squares analysis showed that trauma exposure characteristics influenced postanaphylactic shock PTSD symptoms and psychiatric comorbidity, which, in turn, influenced coping strategies. Conclusions: People could develop PTSD and psychiatric comorbidity symptoms after their experience of anaphylactic shock. The way they coped with anaphylactic shock was affected by the severity of these symptoms. Past traumatic life events had a limited role to play in influencing outcomes. © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

ISSN

0010-440X

Publisher

W.B. Saunders Ltd

Volume

52

Issue

4

First Page

394

Last Page

404

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences

Keywords

accident, adult, aged, alcohol consumption, anaphylactic shock, anxiety, arousal, article, assault, asthma, avoidance behavior, comorbidity, controlled study, coping behavior, cross-sectional study, denial, depression, disease association, drug use, explosion, female, fire, health survey, human, humor, injury, life event, major clinical study, male, natural disaster, patient attitude, posttraumatic stress disorder, religion, social disability, sudden death, Adaptation, Psychological, Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Anaphylaxis, Comorbidity, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Humans, Life Change Events, Male, Mental Disorders, Middle Aged, Questionnaires, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic

Scopus ID

79959302181

Indexed in Scopus

yes

Open Access

no

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