PURPOSE: To determine the change in prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder 
(PTSD) symptoms in victims of the March 11 attacks and their relatives, 1 and 6 
months after the attacks.
SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Evaluation of PTSD symptoms using the Davidson Trauma 
Scale (DTS) and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) in a sample of 56 patients 
admitted to an emergency room of a general hospital, and assessment of PTSD 
symptoms in relatives of the patients.
RESULTS: At Month 1, 41.1% of patients (31.3% of males and 54.2% of females) 
presented with PTSD. At Month 6, this figure was 40.9% (30.4% of males and 52.4% 
of females). There was a significant improvement in perception of health among 
females between Month 1 and Month 6. Relatives presented similar DTS scores at 
baseline and at 6 months.
DISCUSSION: We verified that rates of PTSD did not vary substantively between 
the two evaluations. PTSD symptoms positively correlated with psychological 
health involvement. This correlation points out that both PTSD symptoms and 
subjective general health involvement are part of the psychological response to 
trauma.
CONCLUSION: The prevalence of PTSD symptoms was high and remained stable between 
Month 1 and Month 6, while subjective perception of health improved 
significantly.