PMID: 12780473Jun 5, 2003Paper

Posttraumatic stress disorder: do electrical startle responses and thyroid function usefully supplement self-report? A study of Vietnam War veterans

The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry
J Elisabeth WellsGrant J Carroll

Abstract

To investigate the usefulness of electrical startle responses and thyroid function as supplements to self-report measures of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Invitations were sent to all New Zealand Vietnam War veterans known to be living in North Canterbury; 50 responded and the 35 living in or near Christchurch were included. Self-report measures of PTSD (the Davidson Trauma Scale (DTS) and the Symptom Check List (SCL-90-R) ), an eye blink electrical startle response and thyroid function were measured. The DTS was re-administered one to two weeks later to assess short-term test-retest reliability. Six months later the DTS and the electrical startle response were measured again. The veterans reported a wide range of PTSD severity, with 15/35 reporting prior diagnosis of PTSD. The DTS showed high short-term test-retest reliability (r = 0.93) and a moderate correlation after 6 months (r = 0.73). It also showed sensitivity to change; in one to two weeks the scores increased by nearly half a standard deviation, possibly because of an imminent "homecoming" march. The DTS and a PTSD scale from the SCL-90-R were highly correlated (r = 0.89). The total triiodothyronine (T3) to free thyroxine (T4) ratio measure of thyroid function...Continue Reading

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Citations

Apr 10, 2010·Addictive Behaviors·Sarah E NunninkDewleen G Baker
May 12, 2006·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Malcolm Sim, Helen Kelsall

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