Objective. Previous empirical studies provide support for the development of posttraumatic stressed is order following traumatic brain injury. This study investigated the nature of intrusive symptoms experienced by people with traumatic brain injury and explored the relationship between the severity of brain injury, PTSD symptomse, motional adjustment and appraisals. Method. Twenty four patients with traumatic brain injuries who had no explicit memory for the accident were interviewed using the CAPS and were asked to complete four questionnaires on PTSD severity, posttraumatic cognitions and emotional adjustment. Results. A descriptive analysis of participants' reports indicated a considerable number of intrusive symptoms among the sample with intrusions relating to the accident, waking up in hospital and preoccupation regarding the changes in people's lives following TBI. Correlations provided no evidence for an association between PTSD severity and severity of brain injury. The findings suggest that negative posttraumatic appraisals are associated with severity of PTSD type symptoms as well as with emotional maladjustment in this client group. Conclusions. It is suggested that PTSD models can be useful in understanding the mechanisms involved in the posttraumatic reactions and difficulties of emotional adjustment following traumatic brain injuries. This has serious clinical implications that need to be examined further.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:426886 |
| Date | January 2005 |
| Creators | Kyritsi, Helen |
| Publisher | University of East Anglia |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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