Citation

Medhaffar K, Feki I, Baati I, Sellami R, Trigui D, Moalla S, Keskes H, Masmoudi J. Eur. Psychiatry 2016; 33(Suppl): S640.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.eurpsy.2016.01.1896

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Road Traffic Accidents (RTA) are most probably the leading cause of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in developed countries but it remains under-estimated.- To determine the prevalence of PTSD in our population.- To determine the relationship between PTSD, anxiety and depression.This is a cross-sectional study which involved 120 road traffic accidents victims, followed in the outpatient orthopedic department of Sfax in Tunisia. We assessed the severity of the injuries by the AIS scale, post-traumatic stress by the PCL-S and anxiety and depression by the HADS scale.Our population was relatively young (average age≈37ans). In our population, AIS score (assessment of the severity of injuries) was higher than 3 in 62.5%. According to the HADS score, 36.7% suffer from depression and 27.5% from anxiety. In our series, the prevalence of PTSD in road accident victims was important: 54.17%. The risk factors identified were: female gender (P=0.043); rural origin (P=0.015); and the handicap caused by the accident (P=0.013). Concerning comorbidities, anxiety and depressive disorders were significantly associated with PTSD (P=0.000).Psychological consequences of RTA such as PTSD, depression and anxiety are not easily apparent. These people who have suffered from the most severe emotional shock are often neglected and/or forgotten.

Language: en