Objectives: Acute stress responses following a trauma indicate a sensitivit
y to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and is often comorbid with depre
ssion. Earlier exposure to a traumatic event can be an additional risk fact
or in PTSD development.
Method; eight injured patients hospitalized after a major air disaster were
monitored and assessed for a month. The symptoms of acute stress response
(ASR), PTSD, and depression were assessed using DSM-IV criteria immediately
following the accident, then each week thereafter. The Impact of Event Sca
le (IES) was completed on the 30th day (D30).
Results: Four patients presented with an ASR, and 3 of them had a PTSD at D
30. Of those 3 patients with PTSD, 2 presented with an associated depressio
n. These 2 patients had been exposed to a traumatic event before the disast
er; and a significant relation was found between the history of the earlier
trauma and the PTSD associated with depression.
Conclusion: The traumatized victims with a history of earlier traumas seem
more susceptible to developing a PTSD associated with depression.