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Predictors of post-traumatic stress symptoms in oklahoma city: Exposure, social support, peri-traumatic responses

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Abstract

Eighty-five adults seeking mental health assistance six months after the Oklahoma City bombing were assessed to determine which of three groups of variables (exposure, peri-traumatic responses, and social support) predicted development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Variables most highly associated with subsequent PTSD symptoms included having been injured (among exposure variables), feeling nervous or afraid (peri-traumatic responses), and responding that counseling helped (support variables). Combining primary predictors in the three areas, PTSD symptoms were more likely to occur in those reporting counseling to help and those feeling nervous or afraid at the time of the bombing. Implications of these findings are discussed for behavioral health administrators and clinicians planning service delivery to groups of victims seeking mental health intervention after terrorist attacks and other disasters.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, USA

    Phebe Tucker M.D. (Associate Professor), Betty Pfefferbaum M.D., J.D. (professor and chairman) & Sara Jo Nixon Ph.D. (professor)

  2. the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, USA

    Warren Dickson Ph.D.

Authors
  1. Phebe Tucker M.D.
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  2. Betty Pfefferbaum M.D., J.D.
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  3. Sara Jo Nixon Ph.D.
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  4. Warren Dickson Ph.D.
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Tucker, P., Pfefferbaum, B., Nixon, S.J. et al. Predictors of post-traumatic stress symptoms in oklahoma city: Exposure, social support, peri-traumatic responses. The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research 27, 406–416 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02287822

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