Acute stress symptoms 1–2 weeks after stroke predict the subsequent development of post-traumatic stress symptoms: A prospective cohort study

Objective To date no research has examined the potential influence of acute stress symptoms (ASD) on subsequent development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in stroke survivors. Our objective was to examine whether acute stress symptoms measured 1–2 weeks post-stroke predicted the presence of post-traumatic stress symptoms measured 6–12 weeks later. Design Prospective within-groups study. Methods Fifty four participants who completed a measure of acute stress disorder at 1–2 weeks following stroke (time 1) and 31 of these participants completed a measure of posttraumatic stress disorder 6–12 weeks later (time 2). Participants also completed measures of stroke severity, functional impairment, cognitive impairment, depression, anxiety, pre-morbid intelligence and pain across both time points. Results Some 22% met the criteria for ASD at baseline and of those, 62.5% went on to meet the criteria for PTSD at follow-up. Meanwhile two of the seven participants (28.6%) who met the criteria for PTSD at Time 2, did not meet the ASD criteria at Time 1 (so that PTSD developed subsequently). A hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that the presence of acute stress symptoms at baseline was predictive of post-traumatic stress symptoms at follow-up (R² = .26, p < .01). Less severe stroke was correlated with higher levels of posttraumatic stress symptoms at Time 2 (rho = .42, p < .01). Conclusions The results highlight the importance of early assessment and identification of acute stress symptoms in stroke survivors as a risk factor for subsequent PTSD. Both ASD and PTSD were prevalent and the presence of both disorders should be assessed.