Stroke is a life-threatening condition that affects an estimated 5 in 1000 people each year worldwide . Although exposure to a life-threatening event has long been a requirement for a diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), it was not until the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders that medical conditions were considered to qualify. Recent research suggests that 3% to 30% of stroke victims develop PTSD ; however, little data are available on the early risk factors for PTSD in this population. Peritraumatic distress, referring to fear, helplessness, horror and emotional reactions during or immediately following trauma, and peritraumatic dissociation, referring to alterations in the experience of time, place and persons during or immediately following trauma, have both been found to be robust prospective predictors of PTSD symptoms after a variety of traumas . Although retrospective studies suggest that distress and dissociation following a stroke might increase the risk for PTSD , prospective data are needed.