Early predictors of posttraumatic stress in accident victims

This study investigated the predictive value of pretraumatic and peritraumatic variables and early PTSD-like symptoms (within 48 h post-event) in determining the severity of posttraumatic stress in accident victims. Symptom development appears to be related to initial PTSD-like reactions, while demographic variables play a role in predicting symptom severity 6 months post-event.