Self-efficacy in acutely traumatized patients and the risk of developing a posttraumatic stress syndrome

Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) occurs across 15-20% of victims suffering physical injury. The occurrence of PTSD has been attributed to both the trauma and the victim’s individual resources, such as resilience, coping strategies, and social support systems. In the present study, we explored the role of self-efficacy for cognitive self-regulation in the posttraumatic adaptation process of sixty-five patients immediately following trauma (T1) and approximately four months later (T2) assessing posttraumatic stress syndrome according to DSM-IV criteria. We hypothesized perceived self-efficacy as a predictor for an increased risk of developing posttraumatic stress symptoms. Self-efficacy measured immediately following trauma correlated significantly with the development of posttraumatic stress syndromes. This finding suggests that the evaluation of cognitive adaptation to trauma is a helpful marker for clinical outcome assessment and can therefore be used for the identification of patients needing psychotherapeutic intervention.