Article révisé par les pairs
| Résumé : | Fifty patients, victims of assaults and hold-ups, underwent a medical and psychological examination in order to assess semiological and psychometric characteristics of post-traumatic stress disorder: 27 males and 23 females with a mean age of 41 years (19-68 years) were examined 18 months (2-64 months) after the traumatic event. The following semiology was observed: excitability (92%), phobic avoidance (86%), distrust (84%); recurrent traumatic nightmares (82%), difficulties in concentration (82%), impaired memory (80%), dysphoric mood with self-depreciation and discouragement (82%), hyperfatigability (80%), recurrent recollection of the traumatic event (78%), headaches (78%), middle and terminal sleep disturbances (76%), neurovegetative hyperactivity with palpitations (74%), trembling (72%), sweating (72%) and oppressions (72%). Cognitive testing demonstrated moderate concentration difficulties, memory disturbances and hyperfatigability. Hamilton rating scale for Anxiety mean score was 21 (6-32) and Hamilton rating scale for Depression mean score 18 (4-37). Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory showed elevated scores in psychastheny (85), schizophrenia (76), hysteria (73) and hypochondria (71) clinical scales. Statistical study showed no correlation (Spearman rank correlation test) between type of aggression (pure psychological trauma or with a concomitant physical component) and cognitive and psycho-affective variables. An influence of the delay of examination was only observed on immediate memory. Most of the cognitive disturbances were correlated with the severity of anxiety and depression. Post-traumatic stress disorder also perturbed the work capacity: only 8 patients returned normally to previous work after a laps of time between 1 and 54 months. |
