The long-term psychological effects of a disaster experienced in adolescence : 1 : the incidence and course of PTSD.

From: Journal of child psychology and psychiatry and allied disciplines, 2000, vol. 41, no. 4, pp. 503-511

Includes bibliographical references

Spiral bound

This paper is the first of a series reporting on the long-term follow-up of a group of young adults who as teenagers had survived a shipping disaster - the sinking of the "Jupiter" in Greek waters - between 5 and 8 years previously. The general methodology of the follow-up study as a whole is described, and the incidence and long-term course of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It is the first study of its kind on a relatively large, representative sample of survivors, using a standardized diagnostic interview, and comparing survivors with a community control group. 217 survivors of the Jupiter disasters, and 87 young people as controls, were interviewed using the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS). Of the 217 survivors, 111 had developed PTSD at some time during the follow-up period, compared with an incidence in the control group of 87. In the large majority of cases of PTSD in the survivors for whom time of onset was recorded, 90%, onset was not delayed, being within 6 months of the disaster. About a third of those survivors who developed PTSD recovered within a year of onset. though another third were still suffering from the disorder at the time of follow-up, between 5 and 8 years after the disaster. Issues relating to the generalisability of these findings are discussed