TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2012//
TI  - Predictors of Chronic Trauma-Related Symptoms in a Community Sample of New Zealand Motor Vehicle Accident Survivors
JO  - Culture, medicine, and psychiatry
A1  - Kazantzis, Nikolaos
A1  - Kennedy-Moffat, James
A1  - Flett, Ross A.
A1  - Petrik, Alexandra M.
A1  - Long, Nigel R.
A1  - Castell, Bronwyn
SP  - 442
EP  - 464
VL  - 36
IS  - 3
N2  - This study examined 1,500 New Zealand community-residing adults for involvement in serious motor vehicle accident (MVA) and the development of trauma-related symptomatology. The incidence of MVA was 11 %. More than 50 % of the accident victim sub-sample reported hyperarousal, with exaggerated startle, intrusive recollections, situational avoidance, emotional reactivity, and cognitive avoidance. The high incidence of trauma-related symptoms is noteworthy given 59 % of victims reported sustaining no or mild accident injury, and only 27 % were admitted to hospital for severe injury. Trauma-related symptoms were related to measures of injury severity, psychological and social functioning, and persistent medical problems. Pre- and post-accident factors, that is, experience of additional trauma, experience of stressful life events and post-accident social contact were the most important predictors of trauma-related symptoms severity. This study discusses the importance of examining trauma-related symptoms rather than using categorical diagnostic criteria (i.e., post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD) as a sole means of characterizing the psychological impact of MVA.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0165-005X
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11013-012-9265-z
ID  - ref1
ER  -