Citation

Blanchard EB, Hickling EJ, Taylor AE, Loos WR, Gerardi RJ. Behav. Res. Ther. 1994; 32(3): 283-290.

Affiliation

Center for Stress and Anxiety Disorders, University at Albany-SUNY 12203.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1994, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

8192626

Abstract

Fifty victims of recent motor vehicle accidents (MVAs), who had sought medical attention after their accidents, were assessed for possible psychological morbidity as a result of the accident. Forty age, gender-matched controls were also assessed with the same instruments. Forty-six percent of the MVA victims met the criteria for current post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD) as a result of the accident while 20% showed a sub-syndromal version (the reexperiencing symptom cluster plus either the avoidance/numbing cluster or the over-arousal cluster) of PTSD. Although all MVA victims showed some form of driving reluctance, only 1 S met the criteria for driving phobia. Those MVA victims who met the criteria for PTSD or sub-syndromal PTSD were significantly more likely to have experienced previous trauma, other than a serious MVA, and were more likely (P = 0.008) to have previously met the criteria for PTSD as a result of that trauma. Forty-eight percent of MVA victims who met the criteria for current PTSD also met the criteria for current major depression. Significantly more current MVA-PTSDs had suffered previous major depressive episodes.

Language: en