J Trauma
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Multicenter Study
High rates of acute stress disorder impact quality-of-life outcomes in injured adolescents: mechanism and gender predict acute stress disorder risk.
Injury is the leading cause of death and functional disability in adolescent children. Little is known about quality of life and psychological outcomes after trauma in adolescents. The Trauma Recovery Project in Adolescents is a prospective epidemiologic study designed to examine multiple outcomes after major trauma in adolescents aged 12 to 19 years, including quality of life (QoL) and psychological sequelae such as acute stress disorder (ASD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The specific objectives of the present report are to examine ASD rates and the association of ASD with QoL outcomes in injured adolescents. ⋯ Adolescent trauma survivors have high rates of ASD. ASD severely impacts QoL outcomes and is associated with female sex and mechanism of injury in adolescents. Early recognition and treatment of ASD in seriously injured adolescents will improve QoL outcomes.