Traumatic reactions as predictors of posttraumatic stress six months after the Oklahoma City bombing

• Published in: Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.) Vol. 48; no. 9; pp. 1191 - 1194
• Main Authors: Tucker, P, Dickson, W, Pfefferbaum, B, McDonald, N B, Allen, G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Psychiatric Publishing 01-09-1997
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Dissociative Disorders - diagnosis; Dissociative Disorders - psychology; Explosions; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Oklahoma; Personality Assessment; Retrospective Studies; Social Perception; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - diagnosis; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - psychology; Urban Population; Violence; Oklahoma
• ISSN: 1075-2730; 1557-9700
• DOI: 10.1176/ps.48.9.1191

OBJECTIVE: This study attempted to identify remembered reactions of
Oklahoma City residents at the time of the April 1995 terrorist bombing
that predicted later development of posttraumatic stress symptoms. METHODS:
Eighty-six adults who sought help for distress related to the bombing six
months after it occurred completed a survey about demographic
characteristics, level of exposure to the event, symptoms of grief,
retrospective reports of reactions at the time of the trauma, current
posttraumatic stress symptoms, and coping strategies. To identify immediate
bombing reactions predictive of later distress, retrospective reports of
reactions to the trauma were correlated with current posttraumatic stress
symptoms. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine which
reactions predicted the emergence of posttraumatic stress symptoms.
RESULTS: Reactions of being nervous and being upset by how other people
acted when the bombing occurred accounted for about one-third of the total
variation in posttraumatic stress symptom scores and thus were major
predictors of posttraumatic stress. CONCLUSIONS: These results differ from
those of other studies in which peritraumatic dissociation, or dissociation
at the time of the event, was more predictive than anxiety for developing
later distress. The results suggest that persons who experience significant
anxiety at the time of the traumatic event may continue to experience
distress. Those who are overly concerned about others' actions may be
showing diminished interpersonal trust, evidence of terrorism's ability to
erode social harmony.