Abstract
This study examined the longitudinal course of psychiatric sequelae of a mass shooting incident at a courthouse. A sample of 80 individuals was examined 6-8 weeks after the incident and 77 of these were reassessed one and three years later using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule/Disaster Supplement. Only 5% of the study sample met criteria for PTSD after this incident. Universal distress, however, was evident as 96% of the respondents reported PTSD symptoms and 75% described the incident as "very upsetting." The need for intervention among symptomatic individuals not meeting diagnostic criteria should not be discounted as subdiagnostic distress may warrant specific intervention.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 181-194 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Community Mental Health Journal |
Volume | 38 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jun 2002 |
Keywords
- Disaster
- Mass shooting
- PTSD
- Trauma
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Health(social science)
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
- Psychiatry and Mental health