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PROSPECTIVE INVESTIGATION OF MENTAL HEALTH FOLLOWING SEXUAL ASSAULT
Author(s) -
Nickerson Angela,
Steenkamp Maria,
Aerka Idan M.,
SaltersPedneault Kristalyn,
Carper Teresa L.,
Barnes J. Ben,
Litz Brett T.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
depression and anxiety
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.634
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1520-6394
pISSN - 1091-4269
DOI - 10.1002/da.22023
Subject(s) - anxiety , context (archaeology) , comorbidity , clinical psychology , psychiatry , depression (economics) , psychology , poison control , mediation , posttraumatic stress , anxiety disorder , injury prevention , mental health , suicide prevention , sexual assault , medicine , medical emergency , paleontology , biology , political science , law , economics , macroeconomics
Background Comorbidity in psychological disorders is common following exposure to a traumatic event. Relatively little is known about the manner in which changes in the symptoms of a given type of psychological disorder in the acute period following a trauma impact changes in symptoms of another disorder. This study investigated the relationship between changes in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety symptoms in the first 12 weeks following sexual assault. Methods Participants were 126 women who had been sexually assaulted in the previous 4 weeks. Results Lower level mediation analyses revealed that changes in PTSD symptoms had a greater impact on changes in depression and anxiety than vice versa. Conclusions The finding highlights the role of PTSD symptoms in influencing subsequent change in other psychological symptoms. These findings are discussed in the context of models detailing the trajectory of psychological disorders following trauma, and clinical implications are considered.