Coping style and psychological trauma after road accidents

This prospective study aimed to follow a cohort of road accident victims for 6 months and to examine changes in psychological trauma and coping styles over this time. It also aimed to examine the relationship between initial coping style and subsequent psychological trauma. Seventy-two consecutive hospital attendees were assessed using the General Health Questionnaire, Impact of Event Scale, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Interview and the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations. Results showed that there was little change in reported coping style over the 6 months but there was a significant decrease in scores on trauma symptom measures. Initial emotion-focussed coping style and to a lesser extent avoidance had strong positive relationships with later trauma scores.