Abstract
The purpose of the present study was to compare posttraumatic stress reactions, physical symptoms, and depressive symptoms of victims of lethal trauma to those of non-lethal trauma. Participants were 598 college students. Physical Symptoms Scale, Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), Event Check List (ECL), and the Impact of Event Scale Revised (IES-R) were administered. No significant difference in posttraumatic stress reaction was found between lethal trauma group and non-lethal trauma group. However, all of posttraumatic stress reaction, physical symptoms, and depressive symptoms had effects on anxiety sensitivity. In conclusion, in order to reduce posttraumatic stress reactions, it seems critical to evaluate a wide range of posttraumatic stress reactions, including physical symptoms, depressive symptoms, and anxiety sensitivity, in addition to the lethality of trauma.
