ACUTE STRESS DISORDER AFTER MILD TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY

The debate continues over whether a posttraumatic response occurs in t hose who have sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI). The aim of thi s study was to investigate the incidence of acute stress disorder (ASD ) in the mild TBI population. Patients who sustained a mild TBI after a motor vehicle accident (N = 79) were assessed for the presence of AS D. ASD was diagnosed in 13.9% of patients, and 5.1% were diagnosed wit h subsyndromal ASD. Dissociative, reexperiencing, and avoidance sympto ms were found to have moderate to high predictive power. This study hi ghlights the significant number of patients who experience an acute tr auma response after TBI and raises the possibility that those with ASD denote those for whom an early intervention may prevent longer-term p sychopathology. Diagnostic difficulties in defining ASD after TBI are discussed.