This article reviews the clinical features, etiologic theories, incidence, and treatment of the three most common anxiety disorders to arise from motr vehicle accidents (MVAs): accident phobia, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and partial PTSD. These disorders have been neglected by researchers and often overlooked by clinicians, even though they are common, distressing, and sometimes debilitating. Accident phobia is clinically distinguishable from full- and partial-PTSD, although all three disorders have etiologic factors in common. Treatments for these disorders also share many similarities. Case studies and uncontrolled clinical trials suggest that behavioral interventions are effective, and that cognitive restructuring may be a useful adjunct. Although these findings need to be replicated in controlled studies, they offer some guidelines as to the type and amount of treatment required for clinically severe MVA-induced anxiety disorders. The aritcle is concluded by considering important directions for further investigations.
Abstract