title: Effects of attribution of responsibility for motor vehicle accidents on severity of PTSD symptoms, ways of coping, and recovery over six months.
abstract: In light of Delahanty et al.'s (1997) identification of attribution of responsibility for a motor vehicle accident (MVA) as a powerful determinant of initial level of distress from the trauma and of early remission of PTSD, we reexamined data from Blanchard and Hickling's (1997) prospective follow-up of 158 MVA survivors. Despite differences between the two samples (Delahanty sample recruited from hospitals 2-3 weeks post-MVA and predominantly male; our sample recruited from outpatient care 1-4 months post-MVA and predominantly female) we replicated Delahanty's findings: those with PTSD who blame themselves for the MVA are less symptomatic initially and recover more rapidly in the first 6 months than those with PTSD who blame another party for the accident.
authors.affiliation: Sage Colleges, University at Albany-SUNY 12203, USA.
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Hickling
authors.forename: E B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Blanchard
authors.forename: T C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Buckley
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Taylor
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D003289:Convalescence; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018986:Motor Vehicles; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*