After the Crash

Motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) are the most common type of trauma experienced by men and the second most common experienced by women. Moreover, MVAs are the single leading cause of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the general population. And yet, the psychological assessment and treatment of road crash survivors has been little studied in the United States. Drawing on the authors' extensive research, clinical care of MVA survivors and their five-year study of this unique population, "After the Crash" fills a gap in our clinical knowledge of this widespread phenomenon. Four broad conceptual themes present a comprehensive view of the survivors of serious MVAs: the scope of the problem, including what proportion of MVA survivors develop PTSD; the short-term psychosocial consequences of a serious MVA, the natural history of MVA related PTSD and factors that could influence it, such as physical injury, litigation and delayed onset; and psychological treatment of the MVA survivor with PTSD. An empirically validated behavioural treatment programme for PTSD in MVA survivors should be of particular value to all practitioners.
Other topics covered include acute stress disorder, the role of litigation in PTSD remission, the development of problems secondary to trauma, and predisposing factors for developing PTSD. This volume presents cutting-edge research being done in this area and should appeal to a broad audience of practitioners including psychologists, psychiatrists, other mental health workers and physicians, as well as attorneys who handle MVA survivor cases.