Journal of psychiatric research
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Road Traffic Accidents (RTA) are most probably the leading cause of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in developed countries. The autonomic nervous system (ANS) disturbances, due to psychological trauma, are part of the pathophysiology of PTSD. The aim of the present study was to determine whether early heart rate variability (HRV) measurement, a biomarker of the ANS function, could act as a predictor of PTSD development after a RTA. ⋯ RTA survivors exhibiting lower parasympathetic modulation of HR, indexed by temporal analysis of HRV, are more susceptible to developing PTSD as a short and long-term outcome.