PICOTS | Inclusion and exclusion criteria |
---|---|
Patients or populations | Adults aged 18 years or older |
Patients with current PTSD based on DSM/ICD criteria | |
Exposures | Trauma exposure fulfilling DSM/ICD criteria occurring at least a month prior to assessment in PTSD patients and TEC |
Comparison group(s) | PTSD patients versus all controls |
Subgroup analysis: | |
 PTSD patients versus TEC | |
 PTSD patients versus TUC | |
Outcomes | Basal or baseline cortisol levels (mean levels and standard deviation) measured in different tissue types |
Timing | At least 1Â month since trauma exposure in PTSD patients and TEC |
Setting | Any setting (inpatient, outpatient, community settings) |
Study design | Any study design where cortisol levels are compared in patients versus controls (e.g. cross-sectional, case-control and cohort) |