ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the incidence and related risk factors of post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD) after acci-dents in the Pearl River Delta .Methods Inpatients after accidents from April 2009 to February 2010 in seven hospitals of the Pearl River Delta cities ,such as Guangzhou ,Shenzhen and Zhuhai ,were surveyed with PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C) and self-made questionnaire .Results In a total of 554 post traumatic patients ,a prevalence of 28 .5% of PTSD symptoms were found in this region with 7 .8% (marks≥50) of severe degree and 20 .8% (marks :38-49) of mild to moderate degree .In the severe PTSD symptoms group ,the top three items were getting nervous and upset once faced similar situation ,difficulty sleeping or easy to be a-wake ,and the trauma experience caused recurring disturbing memory ,ideas or image .Multivariate analysis showed that female ,una-ble self-care ,incapable of working ,lack help from friends ,multiple injury ,and injury time longer were all associated with the PTSD symptom incidence .Conclusion The prevalence of PTSD symptoms is relatively high in injured patients after accidents in the Pearl River Delta .Early identification and intervention of PTSD symptoms in post-traumatic patients are important for the prevention of PTSD .