1. The role of psychological symptoms and social group memberships in the development of post-traumatic stress after traumatic injury
- Author
-
Jolanda Jetten, Janelle M. Jones, W. Huw Williams, Adrian L. Harris, Ilka H. Gleibs, and S. Alexander Haslam
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,business.industry ,Traumatic stress ,Poison control ,Peer group ,General Medicine ,Suicide prevention ,Occupational safety and health ,Traumatic injury ,Injury prevention ,medicine ,Physical therapy ,Psychiatry ,Prospective cohort study ,business ,Applied Psychology - Abstract
Objectives. The costs associated with traumatic injury are often exacerbated by the development of post-traumatic stress symptoms. However, it is unclear what decreases the development of post-traumatic symptoms over time. The aim of the present research was to examine the role of psychological symptoms and social group memberships in reducing the development of post-traumatic stress symptoms after orthopaedic injuries (OIs) and acquired brain injuries (ABIs). Design and Methods. A longitudinal prospective study assessed self-reported general health symptoms, social group memberships, and post-traumatic stress symptoms among participants with mild or moderate ABI (n= 62) or upper limb OI (n= 31) at 2 weeks (T1) and 3 months (T2) after injury. Results. Hierarchical regressions revealed that having fewer T1 general health symptoms predicted lower levels of T2 post-traumatic stress symptoms after OI but forming more new group memberships at T1 predicted lower levels of T2 post-traumatic stress symptoms after ABI. Conclusion. A focus on acquiring group memberships may be particularly important in reducing the development of post-traumatic stress symptoms after injuries, such as ABI, which result in long-term life changes.
- Published
- 2012