Reactions to Assault
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Psychological reactions to an assault.
IRAS ID
170085
Contact name
Georgina Geddes
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Oxford
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 7 days
Research summary
Longitudinal studies have shown that being a victim of an assault leads a significant minority to experience Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Although much less studied, there is growing evidence of a direct association between trauma and an increased risk of psychotic experiences such as paranoia, delusions and hallucinations. The current study will be the first to investigate prospectively PTSD symptoms and multiple psychotic experiences, paranoia, grandiosity and hallucinations, in the months after a physical assault. It will investigate the occurrence of these different psychopathological reactions to trauma, how distinguishable they are from each other and the shared and differential psychological factors that lead the problems persisting. Potential participants will be identified and recruited through attendance at Milton Keynes accident and emergency department for injuries related to an interpersonal assault. 200 participants will attend a 2 hour baseline assessment within 10 days of their assault. A small number of participants (n=50) will be invited to wear an actigraphic watch and fill in a sleep diary from the day of their A&E attendance until the day of their baseline assessment. The baseline assessment concerns the presence and severity of PTSD symptoms, paranoia, grandiosity and hallucinations as well as measurement of the psychological factors likely to predict persistent reactions. At 12 and 24 weeks participants’ current level of PTSD symptoms and psychotic experiences will be assessed in order to investigate the persistence of these difficulties and the ability of measures taken in the initial assessment to predict outcome. The study will therefore inform about the potential range of psychological reactions to a common adverse event and identify the factors that lead to these reactions becoming more problematic. The information gathered can inform the development of psychological interventions in the aftermath of trauma.
REC name
South Central - Oxford C Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/SC/0288
Date of REC Opinion
29 Jun 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion