Post-traumatic stress disorder in an urban trauma population

This descriptive study examined the incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in individuals who experienced physical traumas within the past 6 months and the relationship between severity of physical injury and PTSD. The sample consisted of 92 subjects who were treated at a Level 1 trauma center in an urban hospital. Scores on the Impact of Event Scale indicated that over half of the sample had medium or high levels of PTSD. However, the severity of physical injury from trauma was not related to PTSD development.