Background. No study to date has investigated the effects of the trauma of being kidnapped for ransom. In the present study, we aimed to assess the general health status and the presence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depression (MDD) in a sample of kidnap victims. We also focused attention on dissociative experiences and on the development of the Stockholm syndrome during captivity. Methods. We investigated the traumatic experiences and reported general health status of 24 kidnap victims using a semistructured interview. The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV was used to assess the presence of PTSD and MDD. The Dissociative Experiences Scale was also administered. Results. The lifetime frequency of PTSD and MDD were 45·9% and 37·5% respectively. The Stockholm syndrome had been present in 50% of the sample during captivity. The presence of PTSD can be predicted by the number of violent experiences, whereas the number of humiliating or deprivation experiences predicts the development of the Stockholm syndrome. Subjects with both PTSD and the Stockholm syndrome reported a greater number of physical complaints at the interview. Conclusions. There is no significant connection between PTSD and the Stockholm syndrome. Both are indices of the severity of the trauma of being kidnapped, but they are associated with different aspects of the traumatic experience. The presence of both syndromes appears to have a detrimental effect on physical health.

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symptomatology depression human Life Change Events psychologic assessment middle aged violence Survivors controlled study health status Aged physical disease interview Humans syndrome male female Aged, 80 and over Psychiatric Status Rating Scales clinical article victim experience Article adult posttraumatic stress disorder Defense Mechanisms Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic Trauma Severity Indices Italy psychotrauma Depressive Disorder, Major emotional attachment crime