Posttraumatic Stress, Depressive Emotions, and Satisfaction With Life After a Road Traffic Accident

BACKGROUND: The psychological response of injured people after traffic accidents includes stress and depression. PURPOSE: To assess orthopaedic patients' stress, depression, and satisfaction with life after traffic accidents in Greece. METHODS: Descriptive, longitudinal, correlational study. Patients' background factors, injury severity, scores on the Impact of Events ScaleRevised (IES-R), the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) Scale, and the Satisfaction With Life Quality (SWLQ) Scale were recorded. The principles of the Declaration of Helsinki were applied. RESULTS: In total, 60 patients participated in this study during hospitalization following a road traffic accident and 40 patients at 6 months after. Participants were mostly men (75%) with severe injuries (50%). The IES-R score at 6 months was significantly lower than during hospitalization. One out of 3 people had a CES-D score, which is considered of clinical significance. The SWLQ scores were considered high. CONCLUSION: As posttraumatic stress and depression seem to affect a considerable percentage of people involved in road traffic accidents in Greece, these individuals should be assessed for posttraumatic stress and depression while still hospitalized.