The Prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder in head-injured adults
Date
1996
Authors
Shepard, Laura Ann
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Abstract
The present study investigated the prevalence of PTSD, as measured by the Penn Inventory, in a sample of 50 head-injured adults. Fifty-eight percent of the total sample scored within the clinical range on the Penn Inventory, and 17% of this subgroup experienced neurogenic amnesia for the traumatic event. The presence of neurogenic amnesia in the PTSD subgroup was unrelated to the severity of PTSD symptomatology as rated by the Penn Inventory. Scores on the Penn Inventory were highly correlated with the Beck Depression Inventory, the PK and PS scales of the MMPI-2, and eight of the ten clinical scales of the MMPI-2. Contrary to expectations, there were no significant relationships between scores on the Penn Inventory and premorbid and demographic variables, indices of head injury severity, or neuropsychological test performance. These results suggest that PTSD may occur in presence of head injury and concomitant neurogenic amnesia for the traumatic event.