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Results provide descriptive information regarding child psychiatric emergency presentations in the city of Detroit. The identified factors that help determine triage to inpatient hospitalization suggest areas for possible resource allocation and potential ED-based intervention.

Intimate relationships involving psychological abuse, particularly those characterized by coercive control (CC), a pattern of behaviors aimed at gaining control over one's romantic partner, have been associated with poorer mental health for victims than among victims of physical partner abuse alone (Johnson & Leone, 2005). This study investigated whether CC predicted posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression above and beyond the effects of childhood maltreatment and frequency and severity of physical partner abuse among a sample of homeless women. This is the first known study to date to investigate the role of CC in the partner abuse experiences of homeless women. Fifty-one ethnically diverse women with a history of partner abuse victimization residing in a homeless shelter in Southwest Ontario, Canada, completed questionnaires assessing partner abuse, CC, depression, and PTSD. As predicted, CC was found to predict PTSD but not depression, after controlling for childhood maltreatment and frequency and severity of physical partner abuse. In addition, women exhibited very high rates of both PTSD and depression. The relation between CC and mental health of victims, particularly the development of PTSD, should be considered in partner abuse prevention programs and interventions. Furthermore, the high rates of psychopathology reported by the women indicate a great need for psychological aid among women residing in homeless shelters.

Introduction: DSM-5 diagnostic criteria revisions for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have raised concerns about PTSD prevalence – particularly the new requirement of one avoidance symptom. We examined the frequency of positive screening results for probable PTSD in treatment-seeking Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel and Veterans when both DSM-5 and DSM-IV-TR symptom cluster criteria were applied. Methods: Previously collected data from 382 CAF personnel and Veterans were used to identify the frequency of positive screens using both sets of diagnostic criteria. Results: 71.2% ( n=272) of participants screened positively for probable PTSD using DSM-5 symptom cluster criteria, compared to 77.7% ( n=297) using DSM-IV-TR symptom cluster criteria. Percent agreement analyses found that negative percent agreement was 100.0%, positive percent agreement was 91.6%, and overall percent agreement was 93.5%. Discussion: The number of individuals who screened positively for probable PTSD using DSM-IV-TR criteria was higher than those who screened positively using DSM-5 criteria. The requirement of at least one avoidance symptom appears to have a noticeable impact on the frequency of positive screens for probable PTSD among treatment-seeking military personnel. This has important implications for pension adjudication and treatment entitlement.

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