BACKGROUND: Admission to intensive care is often a sudden and unexpected event precipitated by a life-threatening condition, 2 determinants thought to influence the development of posttraumatic stress disorder. OBJECTIVES: To identify the frequency of acute symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder and to describe factors predictive of these symptoms in patients 1 month after discharge from intensive care. METHODS: In this prospective cohort study, all patients meeting the inclusion criteria during the study period were invited to participate. Participants completed the Impact of Event Scale-Revised, and demographic and clinical data were accessed from an intensive care unit database. RESULTS: During a 9-month period, 114 of 137 patients who met the inclusion criteria consented to participate in the study, and 100 (88%) completed it. The mean total score on the Impact of Event Scale-Revised was 17.8 (SD, 13.4; possible range, 0-88). A total of 13 participants (13%) scored higher than the cutoff score for clinical posttraumatic stress disorder. Neither sex nor length of stay was predictive of acute symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. In multivariate analysis, the only independent predictor of symptoms was age. Patients younger than 65 years were 5.6 times (95% confidence interval, 1.17-26.89) more likely than those 65 years and older to report symptoms. CONCLUSION: The rate of symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder 1 month after discharge from intensive care was relatively low. Consistent with findings of previous research, being younger than 65 years was the only independent predictor of symptoms.
BACKGROUND: Admission to intensive care is often a sudden and unexpected event precipitated by a life-threatening condition, 2 determinants thought to influence the development of posttraumatic stress disorder. OBJECTIVES: To identify the frequency of acute symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder and to describe factors predictive of these symptoms in patients 1 month after discharge from intensive care. METHODS: In this prospective cohort study, all patients meeting the inclusion criteria during the study period were invited to participate. Participants completed the Impact of Event Scale-Revised, and demographic and clinical data were accessed from an intensive care unit database. RESULTS: During a 9-month period, 114 of 137 patients who met the inclusion criteria consented to participate in the study, and 100 (88%) completed it. The mean total score on the Impact of Event Scale-Revised was 17.8 (SD, 13.4; possible range, 0-88). A total of 13 participants (13%) scored higher than the cutoff score for clinical posttraumatic stress disorder. Neither sex nor length of stay was predictive of acute symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. In multivariate analysis, the only independent predictor of symptoms was age. Patients younger than 65 years were 5.6 times (95% confidence interval, 1.17-26.89) more likely than those 65 years and older to report symptoms. CONCLUSION: The rate of symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder 1 month after discharge from intensive care was relatively low. Consistent with findings of previous research, being younger than 65 years was the only independent predictor of symptoms.