Predictors of acute stress disorder in victims of violence in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo

Background: The Democratic Republic of the Congo underwent more than 25 years of war resulting in millions of deaths and in survivants struggling with trauma related disorders. The factors contributing to acute stress disorder following a traumatic event remain little understood. Emotion regulation might play a role in the development of acute stress disorder among victims of war-related violence.

Objectives: We assessed the association between acute stress disorder expression and cognitive strategies of emotion regulation among injured victims of violence in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 120 patients (77% males, mean age 30 ± 11 years) with traumatic wounds admitted at the Bukavu General Hospital. We assessed acute stress disorder through the Stanford Acute Reaction Stress Questionnaire and emotion regulation strategies through the Cognitive emotional regulation questionnaire.

Results: Using Pearson Chi2 and Student t-test we found that compared with patients without acute stress disorder (N = 56), patients with acute stress disorder (N = 64) were more likely to be victims of armed robbery (p = .02), of a bullet (p = .04), of having wounds with fracture (p = .03) or neurological damage (p = .05). In multivariate logistic regression, wounds with neurological damage [OR = 2.23 (1.03-6.05)] and maladaptive emotion regulation, namely self-blame [OR = 1.71 (1.01-3.21)] and rumination [OR = 1.97 (1.04-4.13)], were significant predictors of acute stress disorder.

Conclusion: Acute stress disorder was prevalent in the aftermath of violence induced injuries and might be associated with emotion regulation strategies such as self-blame and rumination.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Acute stress disorder is strongly associated with maladaptive emotion regulation strategies such as self-blame and rumination.
• Interventions targeting emotion regulation may reduce acute stress reactions in the aftermath of violence induced injuries.