Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-m6dg7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-18T18:23:42.520Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Early Psychological Reactions in a Group of Individuals with Pre-existing and Enduring Mental Health Difficulties Following a Major Coach Accident

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Helen L. Chubb  and
Jonathan I. Bisson
Helen L. Chubb
Affiliation:
St Tydfil's Hospital, Merthyr Tydfil, CF47 0SJ
Jonathan I. Bisson*
Affiliation:
University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff
*
Jonathan I. Bisson, University of Wales College of Medicine, Heath Park, Cardiff CF4 4XN. Fax: 01222 747839
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background

The impact of major trauma on individuals with pre-existing and enduring mental health difficulties is poorly understood.

Method

Twenty individuals with pre-existing and enduring mental health difficulties were assessed with the Clinician Administered Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Scale, the 28-item version of the GHQ, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and the Impact of Event Scale between four and eight weeks after their involvement in a major coach accident.

Results

Ten (50%) individuals satisfied the full DSM–IV criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD. The questionnaire scores indicated a high level of psychological suffering among the group. On dividing the sample into those individuals with previous diagnoses of anxiety or depressive disorders and those with a previous diagnosis of chronic schizophrenia, the schizophrenia group displayed less marked psychological sequelae on all measures.

Conclusion

There was a high incidence of early psychological sequelae among the group as a whole. Some diagnoses (e.g. depression and anxiety) may predispose to psychological sequelae while others (e.g. chronic schizophrenia) may not.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 169 , Issue 4 , October 1996 , pp. 430 - 433
Copyright
Copyright © 1996 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

American Psychiatric Association (1994) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th edn) (DSM–IV). Washington, DC: APA.Google Scholar
Blake, D. D., Weathers, F. W., Nagy, L. N., et al (1990) A clinicians' rating scale for assessing current and lifetime PTSD: the CAPS1. Behavioural Therapy, 18, 187–188.Google Scholar
Breslau, N., Davies, G. C., Andreski, P., et al (1991) Traumatic events and post traumatic stress disorder in an urban population of young adults. Archives of General Psychiatry, 48, 216–222.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Davidson, J. R., Hughes, D., Blazer, D., et al (1991) Post traumatic stress disorder in the community: an epidemiological study. Psychological Medicine, 21, 713–721.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Davidson, J. R., & Fairbank, J. A. (1992) The epidemiology of posttraumatic stress disorder. In Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: DSM–IV and Beyond (eds Davidson, J. R. & Foa, E. B.), pp. 147–169. Washington: American Psychiatric Press.Google Scholar
Goldberg, D. F. & Hillier, V. F. (1979) A scaled version of the General Health Questionnaire. Psychological Medicine, 9, 139–145.Google Scholar
Gregg, W., Medley, I., Fowler-Dixon, R., et al (1995) Psychological consequences of the Kegworth air disaster. British Journal of Psychiatry, 167, 812–817.Google Scholar
Horowitz, M. J., Wilner, N. R. & Alvarez, W. (1979) Impact of Event Scale: A measure of subjective stress. Psychosomatic Medicine, 41, 209–218.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jones, G. H. (1995) Informed consent in chronic schizophrenia? British Journal of Psychiatry, 167, 565–568.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mayou, R., Bryant, B. & Duthie, R. (1993) Psychiatric consequences of road traffic accidents. British Medical Journal, 307, 647–651.Google Scholar
Smith, E. M., North, C. S., McCool, R. E., et al (1990) Acute postdisaster psychiatric disorders: identification of persons at risk. American Journal of Psychiatry, 147, 202–206.Google Scholar
Zigmond, A. S. & Snaith, R. P. (1983) The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 67, 361–370.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.