Possible Risk Factors for Acute Stress Disorder and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder After an Industrial Explosion

There have been deaths and injuries after an explosion which happened in an industrial region in Ankara in February 2011. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of acute stress disorder (ASD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and to determine the variables which can be the risk factors for PTSD.

In this study, we included a total of 197 subjects who were present at the factory building and at the four offices nearby when the disaster occurred. All the participants were assessed one month after the explosion and 157 of them were reassessed six months after the explosion. Socio-demographic information forms were given and the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) was administered to the participants one month after the explosion. Psychiatric assessments were done using the structured clinical interview for DSM-IV axis-I disorders (SCID-I). The CAPS was re-applied six month after the disaster.

At the first-month assessments, ASD was detected in 37.1% of participants and PTSD in 13.7%, whereas PTSD was observed in 16.6% of subjects at the sixth month of the accident. According to the first month data, having any psychiatric disorder before the incident, physical injury, acquaintances among the dead and the injured people, being involved in the incident and seeing dead people were detected as the risk factors for PTSD. At the sixth month assessment, physical injury, acquaintances among the dead and the injured, being involved in the incident were seen as risk factors for PTSD.

ASD and PTSD can be seen after an explosion. Having a previous psychiatric disorder and being directly affected by trauma and being injured are the risk factors for PTSD. This study implies that preventive mental health care services should include the management of current psychiatric condition and employee safety issues.