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Patterns of Posttraumatic Stress Over 12 Months Following Rural Road Accidents

Objectives : To study patterns of posttraumatic stress in a group of rural road accident victims for 12 months post accident, identifying posttraumatic stress or ‘subsyndromal’ posttraumatic stress on each measurement occasion and documenting changes in diagnostic status over time. Method-Design : A prospective longitudinal study of road accident victims over 12 months. Sample : Seventy-two people who consented to the study from a group of consecutive attendees to hospital following road accidents. Three, six and twelve month follow-ups were completed by 61, 62 and 57 people, respectively. Chief Outcome Measures : Posttraumatic stress as diagnosed using the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Interview. Results : Initially after the accident 23.6% of participants had posttraumatic stress, 11.5% at 3 months, 9.7% at 6 months and 7.0% at 12 months. There was overall decline in symptoms with time but with some individuals being symptomatic later despite being asymptomatic earlier. Conclusion : A meaningful proportion of Australian rural road accident victims had symptoms of posttraumatic stress on each measurement occasion. This would justify follow-up by hospitals or provision of information to alert patients to possible psychological sequelae of accidents.