Course of Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms Over the 5 Years Following an Industrial Disaster: A Structural Equation Modeling Study

The present study examined individual latent changes in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms over a 60-month period after an industrial disaster. Participants were recruited from survivors of a factory explosion. Participants were assessed retrospectively for peritraumatic reactions and acute stress symptoms. Posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms were then assessed at 6, 15, and 60 months. Using structural equation modeling, the authors tested 3 hypotheses of individual latent change: stability of PTSD symptoms between 6, 15, and 60 months; change between 6 and 15 months; and change between 15 and 60 months. Only one model provided a good fit suggesting that PTSD symptoms evolved between 6 and 15 months after trauma exposure and remained stable at the individual level thereafter.