Effects of attribution of responsibility for motor vehicle accidents on severity of PTSD symptoms, ways of coping, and recovery over six months.

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, the authors re-examined data from Blanchard and Hickling's (1997) prospective follow-up of 158 MVA survivors. Despite differences between the two samples (Delahanty sample recruited from hospital 2-3 weeks post-MVA and predominantly male; the authors' sample recruited from outpatient care 104 months post-MVA and predominenantly female) Delahanty's findings were replicated; 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. (A)