Prospective study of post-traumatic stress disorder in children involved in road traffic accidents

Objective To determine the prevalence of severe psychological trauma-that i s, post-traumatic stress disorder-in children involved in everyday road tra ffic accidents. Design 12 month prospective study. Setting Accident and emergency department, Royal United Hospital Bath. Subjects 119 children aged 5-18 years involved in road traffic accidents an d 66 children who sustained sports injuries. Main outcome measure Presence of appreciable psychological distress; fulfil ment of diagnostic criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder. Results Post-traumatic stress disorder was found in 41 (34.5%) children inv olved in road traffic accidents but only two (3.0%) who sustained sports in juries. The presence of post-traumatic stress disorder was not related to t he type of accident, age of the child, or the nature of injuries but was si gnificantly associated with sex, previous experience of trauma, and subject ive appraisal of threat to rife, None of the children had received any psyc hological help at the lime of assessment. Conclusions One in three children involved in road traffic accidents was fo und to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder when they were assessed 6 weeks after their accident The psychological needs of such children after such accidents remain largely unrecognised.