Citation

Watts R. Aust. N. Zeal. J. Psychiatry 1995; 29(1): 75-83.

Affiliation

Social Work Services, Bethesda Hospital, Richmond, Victoria.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1995, Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

7625980

Abstract

There is insufficient information on the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other psychological reactions caused by surviving serious road accidents. This paper presents the assessments of 29 people who narrowly escaped death in a coach accident that killed eleven people. Their high vulnerability is clearly established, with 41% having PTSD, and 52% severe intrusion or avoidance phenomena, which included 31% who had both. The occurrence of psychological sequelae was associated with being currently distressed by another event, but not with the survivors' age, gender or acquaintance with people killed in the accident. Seeing bodies or witnessing the death of someone was the predominant cause of distress, both at the time of the accident and in a recurring way. Delayed reactions were evident, with the impact of several factors changing over time.

Language: en