A randomised controlled trial of psychological debriefing for victims of road traffic accidents

Psychiatric problems are common after major or minor road accidents. Mayou et al. found that one fifth of victims developed an acute stress reaction and one quarter displayed psychiatric problems within the first year. Long term psychiatric problems were mainly mood disorder (10%), phobic travel anxiety (20%), and post-traumatic stress disorder (11%). Interest has been stimulated in preventive interventions, especially routine psychological 'debriefing'. Although widely used after trauma, no randomised controlled trials of debriefing have been reported, and debriefing may sometimes increase distress. This randomised controlled study aimed to test whether a single debriefing could reduce post-traumatic psychopathology in road accident victims.