Prevalence and determinants of posttraumatic stress disorder and depression among survivors of motor vehicle accidents from a hilly Indian state

Abstract

Background: Motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) are the leading cause of death and have also been proven debilitating for their survivors. In India, with poor road infrastructure and low maintenance, MVAs are quite apparent. With a significant focus of treatment on physical health, psychological consequences linked to these traumas are often neglected. Aim: The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder and depression, as well as the determinants of these disorders among survivors of MVAs. Materials and Methods: An institution-based, cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 250 survivors of MVA visiting a tertiary care center in Uttarakhand (India) during December 2019, recruited using total enumerative sampling. Data were collected with standardized and validated tools that consisted of sociodemographic information, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist 5, and Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 23, including descriptive (frequency, percentage, mean, and mean percentage) and inferential statistics (Mann–Whitney, Kruskal–Wallis, and binary logistic regression). Results: The prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was found to be 32.4%, and mild and moderate depressions were present among 14.4% and 6.4% of the study population, respectively. Witnessing death (odds ratio [OR] = 5.52; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.92–3.06), loss of valuables (OR = 2.62; 95% CI = 0.78–9.04), self-blame (OR = 6.06; 95% CI = 1.15–31.91), and perceived death threat (OR = 9.98; 95% CI = 5.89–46.85) acted as determinants in the occurrence of PTSD and depression. Conclusion: A considerably large proportion of the population suffered from psychiatric disorders following the trauma. These must be addressed with an urgent development of multidisciplinary teams incorporating mental health services across all hospitals' trauma units.

What Are the Predictors of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Among Road Traffic Accident Survivors

“…Using substances before RTA was not a predictor from 1 to 12 months after the accident (Arora et al, 2021; Bedaso et al, 2020; Blanchard et al, 1996a). Alcohol consumption was a significant predictor in families of children in the Sewol ferry accident after 2.5 years, but not in the students (Lee et al, 2021).…”

“…Education was primarily reported between 1 and 18 months (Arora et al, 2021; Bedaso et al, 2020; Blanchard et al, 1996b; Dougall et al, 2001; Huh et al, 2017; Kessler et al, 2021; Kupchik et al, 2007; Matsuoka et al, 2008; Nishi et al, 2013; Papadakaki et al, 2017; Yaşan et al, 2009). Patients with lower levels of education had significant results in only three of included studies (Khodadadi-Hassankiadeh et al, 2017a; Khodadadi-Hassankiadeh et al, 2017b).…”

“…The death threat was a significant predictor in RTA survivors between 1 month and 3 years (Arora et al, 2021; Blanchard et al, 1996a, 1996b; Jeavons, 2000; Maltais et al, 2022; Ryb et al, 2009). In addition, the threat of death was a significant predictor in 5 studies with 895 participants.…”

“…Witnessing death predicted PTSD 12 months after the accident (Arora et al, 2021; Blanchard et al, 1996a; Fekadu et al, 2019; Ryb et al, 2009). Witnessing death was a significant predictor in three studies with 665 participants.…”

Post-traumatic stress disorder and associated factors among high school students who experienced war in Woldia town

“…Another reason might be due to the difference in the timing of these studies when conducted after the study participants faced a traumatic event—for example, a study done in Ukraine was conducted 2 years after Russia invaded areas of Eastern Ukraine, a study done among Syrian refugees in Jordan was conducted after 3 years of conflict, but the current study was conducted 12 months after the participants experienced traumatic events. If studies are conducted long after the traumatic events, the participants will have a probability of decreased severity perception about the traumatic events due to recall bias, which may affect the participants’ report ( 72 ). Furthermore, the difference in the prevalence rate could be explained by the difference in trauma type and socio-cultural difference among study participants of these studies.…”