Prevalence and determinants of posttraumatic stress disorder and depression among survivors of motor vehicle accidents from a hilly Indian state

Background Motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) are the leading cause of death and have also been proven debilitating for their survivors. In India, with poor road infrastructure and low maintenance, MVAs are quite apparent. With a significant focus of treatment on physical health, psychological consequences linked to these traumas are often neglected. Aim The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder and depression, as well as the determinants of these disorders among survivors of MVAs. Materials and methods An institution-based, cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 250 survivors of MVA visiting a tertiary care center in Uttarakhand (India) during December 2019, recruited using total enumerative sampling. Data were collected with standardized and validated tools that consisted of sociodemographic information, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist 5, and Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 23, including descriptive (frequency, percentage, mean, and mean percentage) and inferential statistics (Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis, and binary logistic regression). Results The prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was found to be 32.4%, and mild and moderate depressions were present among 14.4% and 6.4% of the study population, respectively. Witnessing death (odds ratio [OR] = 5.52; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.92-3.06), loss of valuables (OR = 2.62; 95% CI = 0.78-9.04), self-blame (OR = 6.06; 95% CI = 1.15-31.91), and perceived death threat (OR = 9.98; 95% CI = 5.89-46.85) acted as determinants in the occurrence of PTSD and depression. Conclusion A considerably large proportion of the population suffered from psychiatric disorders following the trauma. These must be addressed with an urgent development of multidisciplinary teams incorporating mental health services across all hospitals' trauma units.