Thompson NJ, et al. – This investigation was planned to determine the correlation between resilience, coping strategies, and the development of chronic posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. The current prospective, longitudinal study suggested that resilience and social withdrawal could be possible therapeutic targets for mitigating the development of chronic PTSD in the aftermath of trauma.

Methods

• For this study, a sample of patients was enlisted from an emergency department following a Criterion A trauma.
• Follow-up assessments were finished at 1-, 3-, and 6-months post-trauma to evaluate PTSD symptom development (N = 164).

Results

• The results of this study showed that resilience at 1-month positively correlated with the majority of active coping strategies (all p < .05) whereas negatively correlated with the majority of avoidant coping strategies (all p < .05), as well as future PTSD symptoms (p < .001).
• Findings revealed that all avoidant coping strategies, including social withdrawal, positively correlated with future PTSD symptoms (all p < .01).
• Social withdrawal at 3-months fully mediated the connection between resilience at 1-month and PTSD symptoms at 6-months after controlling for demographic and clinical variables.