Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Debriefed Survivors of a Bus Accident

Immediately after a severe bus accident a program in preventing posttraumatic stress disorder was started by the Community Mental Health Centre (RIAGG). Six months after the accident, 17 subjects (42.5%) were investigated with regard to posttraumatic stress disorder. Almost 18% appeared to satisfy the DSM-IV criteria. Another subject was considered to be a borderline case. The correlations among measures of intrusion, avoidance, and hyperarousal suggest that subjects with high scores on hyperarousal are at risk for posttraumatic stress disorder.