A prospective study of traumatic stress in children involved in motor vehicle accidents

机动车事故(MVA)是相对频繁的重大生命创伤，代表着重大的生命威胁经历。不足为奇的证据表明，MVA是创伤后应激障碍(PTSD)发展的常见触发因素，尽管研究通常集中在成年幸存者身上。当地统计数据表明，相当大比例的儿童将经历足够严重的MVA，需要住院治疗。该项目具有重要意义，因为它将提供有关儿童在接触严重MVA后情绪和行为问题的患病率和病程的迫切需要的信息。更广泛地说，这项研究应该提供有关儿童创伤后应激反应的有价值的信息。此外，它将使我们能够确定使儿童在MVA后出现心理问题的特别风险的因素。这将提供信息，以帮助设计干预措施，以防止创伤后应激障碍和其他形式的精神病理在MVA后的发展。这些数据还将有助于确定哪些儿童在MVA创伤后有心理疾病的特别风险，哪些儿童的预防性干预最有可能对他们有益。

Motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) are relatively frequent major life trauma that represent significant life threatening experiences. Not surprisingly evidence suggests that MVAs represent a frequent trigger for the development of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), although studies have typically focussed upon adult survivors. Local statistics indicate a significant proportion of children will experience a MVA of sufficient severity to warrant attendance at hospital. This project is of significance because it will provide badly needed information about the prevalence and course of emotional and behavioural problems in children following exposure to a serious MVA. More broadly the study should provide valuable information on post-traumatic stress responses in children. Furthermore, it will enable us to identify the factors that place children at particular risk of developing psychological problems following a MVA. This will provide information to help design of interventions to prevent the development of PTSD and other forms of psychopathology following MVAs. Such data will also permit identification of those children who are at particular risk of psychological morbidity after MVA trauma and for whom preventive interventions are most likely to be beneficial.