The predictive value of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms for quality of life: a longitudinal study of physically

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The predictive value of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms for quality of life: a longitudinal study of physically injured victims of non-domestic violence Venke A Johansen*1,2, Astrid K Wahl3, Dag Erik Eilertsen4, Lars Weisaeth5 and Berit R Hanestad6 Address: 1Faculty of Health Buskerud University College, Konggt 51, 3019 Drammen, Norway, 2Resource Centre on Violence, Traumatic Stress and Suicide Prevention, Western Norway (RVTS-West), Ulriksdalen 2, Helse Bergen, Haukeland University Hospital, Norway, 3Institute of Nursing and Health Sciences Medical Faculty, University of Oslo, Pb 1153 Blindern, 0316 Oslo, Norway, 4Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Pb 1094 Blindern, 0317 Oslo, Norway, 5Norwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies (NKVTS), Ullevål University Hospital, Kirkeveien 116, 0407 Oslo, Norway and 6Department of Public Health and Primary Health Care, University of Bergen, Kalfarveien 31, 5018 Bergen, Norway Email: Venke A Johansen* - [email protected]; Astrid K Wahl - [email protected]; Dag Erik Eilertsen - [email protected]; Lars Weisaeth - [email protected]; Berit R Hanestad - [email protected] * Corresponding author

Published: 21 May 2007 Health and Quality of Life Outcomes 2007, 5:26

doi:10.1186/1477-7525-5-26

Received: 28 March 2007 Accepted: 21 May 2007

This article is available from: http://www.hqlo.com/content/5/1/26 © 2007 Johansen et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract Background: Little is known about longitudinal associations between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and quality of life (QoL) after exposure to violence. The aims of the current study were to examine quality of life (QoL) and the predictive value of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for QoL in victims of non-domestic violence over a period of 12 months. Methods: A single-group (n = 70) longitudinal design with three repeated measures over a period of 12 months were used. Posttraumatic psychological symptoms were assessed by using the Impact of Event Scale, a 15-item self-rating questionnaire comprising two subscales (intrusion and avoidance) as a screening instrument for PTSD. The questionnaire WHOQOL-Bref was used to assess QoL. The WHOQOL-BREF instrument comprises 26 items, which measure the following broad domains: physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environment. Results of the analysis were summarized by fitting Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). Results: For each category of PTSD (probable cases, risk level cases and no cases), the mean levels of the WHOQOL-Bref subscales (the four domains and the two single items) were stable across time of assessment. Individuals who scored as probable PTSD or as risk