The available literature dealing with the measurement of post- traumatic disorders leads one to conclude that there are at least three large clusters of problems: 1) the problem of unequivocally determining the stressor and/or the stress-producing experience, 2) the problem of measuring the symptoms of the stress disorder, 3) the identification of pre-traumatic features and experiences which could have been significant mediators in causing stress. The DSM-III-R diagnostic classification (American Psychiatric Association), although the best mans for determining post-traumatic stress disorder, represents an ideal example for examining these problems while being, at the same time, a useful model for more exact classifications. In addition, by tackling the problems in this manner one gets a better understanding of the entire model for the occurrence of stress disorders: starting from the objective event, the traumatic experiences, the mediational factors to the appearance of acute and chronic after-effects of stress disorders.
