Event centrality following treatment for physical injury in the emergency department: Associations with posttraumatic outcomes. Gen Hosp Psychiatry 2020;67:77-82
Date
10/17/2020Pubmed ID
33065405Pubmed Central ID
PMC7722005DOI
10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2020.09.002Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85092483440 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 3 CitationsAbstract
BACKGROUND: The relationship between event centrality (i.e., the degree to which a stressful event is integrated into one's identity) and acute posttraumatic outcomes after relatively minor physical injury is unknown. We examined pre-injury and Emergency Department (ED) predictors of event centrality at 6-weeks post-injury, and whether event centrality is uniquely associated with 6-week posttraumatic outcomes.
METHODS: In the EDs of two Level I trauma centers, 149 patients completed surveys regarding demographic, psychological and injury-related factors within 24 h post-injury; 84 patients (51% male) completed 6-week surveys of event centrality, posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and trauma-specific QOL (T-QoL). Data were analyzed using linear regression modeling.
RESULTS: At least 20% of patients agreed or strongly agreed that the injury changed their life. Hospitalization status and peritraumatic dissociation were significant predictors of event centrality at 6-weeks. After controlling for demographics, ED-related factors and pre-injury PTSS, event centrality was uniquely associated with PTSS (p < .001) and T-QOL (p < .001) at 6 weeks.
CONCLUSION: Over and above the effects of the injury itself, event centrality conveyed important information for posttraumatic outcomes at 6 weeks post-injury. The centrality scale is brief and feasible to administer; future work is needed to determine the predictive utility of event centrality on post-injury outcomes.
Author List
Pacella-LaBarbara M, Larsen SE, Jaramillo S, Suffoletto B, Callaway CAuthor
Sadie E. Larsen PhD Associate Professor in the Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
Emergency Service, HospitalFemale
Humans
Male
Quality of Life
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
Surveys and Questionnaires
Trauma Centers