Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 May 1:15:1367661.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1367661. eCollection 2024.

Differential predictors of early- and delayed-onset post-traumatic stress disorder following physical injury: a two-year longitudinal study

Sung-Gil Kang  1 , Ju-Wan Kim  1 , Hee-Ju Kang  1 , Hyunseok Jang  2 , Jung-Chul Kim  2 , Ju-Yeon Lee  1 , Sung-Wan Kim  1 , Il-Seon Shin  1 , Jae-Min Kim  1
Affiliations

Differential predictors of early- and delayed-onset post-traumatic stress disorder following physical injury: a two-year longitudinal study

Sung-Gil Kang et al. Front Psychiatry. .

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the predictors of both early- and delayed-onset PTSD over a 2-year period following physical injuries.

Methods: Patients were recruited from a trauma center at a university hospital in South Korea (June 2015 ~ January 2021). At baseline, 1142 patients underwent comprehensive assessments including socio-demographic, pre-trauma, trauma-related, and peri-trauma evaluations. Diagnoses of acute stress disorder (ASD) and subthreshold ASD were also determined using the Clinician-administered PTSD Scale (CAPS). Follow-up assessments at three months included diagnoses of PTSD and subthreshold PTSD using CAPS, and stressful life events (SLEs), with additional evaluations at 6, 12, and 24 months. The analyzed sample comprised 1014 patients followed up at least once after the baseline and 3-month evaluations. PTSD diagnoses were categorized into early-onset (within the first six months after trauma) and delayed-onset (more than six months after trauma). Logistic regression models identified predictors for each group.

Results: Early-onset and delayed-onset PTSD were diagnosed in 79 and 35 patients, respectively. Early-onset PTSD was predicted by previous psychiatric disorders, previous traumatic events, ASD and subthreshold ASD diagnoses, and higher anxiety levels. In contrast, delayed-onset PTSD was linked to higher education, higher injury severity, and subthreshold PTSD and SLEs at 3-month follow-up.

Conclusion: Distinct predictors were found for early-onset and delayed-onset PTSD. The findings underscore the heterogeneous factors influencing the temporal development of PTSD post-trauma, and may provide valuable guidance for more targeted interventions and improved patient outcomes.

Keywords: delayed onset; longitudinal study; posttraumatic stress disorder; prediction; trauma injury.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Patient flow by acute stress disorder (ASD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) status over 2 years.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Visualization of predictors for early- vs. delayed-onset post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following physical injury.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Bryant RA. Post-traumatic stress disorder: a state-of-the-art review of evidence and challenges. World Psychiatry. (2019) 18:259–69. doi: 10.1002/wps.20656 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Beierl E, Böllinghaus I, Clark D, Glucksman E, Ehlers A. Cognitive paths from trauma to posttraumatic stress disorder: a prospective study of Ehlers and Clark's model in survivors of assaults or road traffic collisions. Psychol Med. (2019) 50:2172–81. doi: 10.1017/S0033291719002253 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Pozzato I, Tran Y, Gopinath B, Cameron I, Craig A. The contribution of pre-injury vulnerability to risk of psychiatric morbidity in adults injured in a road traffic crash: Comparisons with non-injury controls. J Psychiatr Res. (2021) 140:77–86. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.05.064 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Heron-Delaney M, Kenardy J, Charlton E, Matsuoka Y. A systematic review of predictors of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for adult road traffic crash survivors. Injury. (2013) 44:1413–22. doi: 10.1016/j.injury.2013.07.011 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Andrews B, Brewin C, Philpott R, Stewart L. Delayed-onset posttraumatic stress disorder: a systematic review of the evidence. Am J Psychiatr. (2007) 164:1319–26. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2007.06091491 - DOI - PubMed