The psychological burden of an initially unexplained illness: patients with sternocostoclavicular hyperostosis before and after delayed diagnosis

Table 2 Mean ± SD, number of items, range of observed scores, Cronbach's α, and F-values of the subscales of the Impact of Event Scale (Revised) observed in the present sample and in two comparison samples (means with equal upper case superscripts are not significantly different)

IES-R scale (# of items; range; α)	SCCH patients n = 52	Childbirth data^a n = 453	Pregnancy termination data^b n = 191	F-value df= 2, 675
Intrusion (8; 0 - 40; .866)	16.12^A ± 9.76	7.24^C ± 6.8	9.35^B ± 8.02	34.959**
Avoidance (8; 0 - 36; .854)	16.83^A ± 9.69	2.13^C ± 4.2	5.64^B ± 7.54	153.220**
Hyperarousal (6; 0 - 30; .843)	12.50^A ± 8.27	3.23^C ± 4.3	4.78^B ± 6.46	70.036**
Total (22; 2 - 96; .931)	45.45^A ± 24.73	12.61^C ± 13.0	19.78^B ± 19.48	99.230**

ISSN: 1477-7525