| PrefacePsychiatric injury is an important composer of the injury compensations. The fact that PTSD ( Posttraumatic Stress Disorder) may occur after accidents is well known. Road traffic accidents ( RTA) are probably the most common sources of traumatic stress in modern world, and are becoming the leading causes of PTSD. As PTSD is more difficult to be differentiated and evaluated than the physical injuries, the role of PTSD is usually ignored. In present study, the following are involved: 1. The common information on the victims of RTA who applied to the court for a costs order; 2. The relationship between PTSD and severities of injury; 3. The effect of PTSD on quality of life and its association of anxiety and depression; 4. A particular type of connection existing between the development and progression on PTSD and the acquirement of awarded costs. This study is aimed at supplying accumulating evidence for psychiatric compensation in court.Subjects and MethodsOne hundred and fifty six victims of RTA were recruited who applied to court for a costs order from Sep. 2001 to Mar. 2003. The ages of subjects are 18 ~ 60. The victims were examined for psychiatric diagnosis by psychiatrists and for severities of injury by experts in clinical forensic medicine. The self - report psychopathological status and quality of life were also measured. The statistic analyses included t - test, x2 test and Mann - Whitney test.ResultsEighty one victims of 156 (51. 92% ) fulfilled the criteria for PTSD (ICD - 10) , including males 41 (44. 57% ) and females 40 (62. 5% ). x2 test revealed that morbidity difference in male and female were significant (x2 =7. 126, P<0.01); There were few differences of ages and education durations in PTSD and non - PTSD groups; The intervals from traumatic accidents to injury identification were significantly different between PTSD and non - PTSD groups using t test (t = 5. 600, P < 0.001) ; There were no relationships between injury parts and incidence of PTSD (x2 =4. 755, P >0. 05 ) ; The injuries were more severe in PTSD than non - PTSD by Mann - Whitney test, U = 2382. 5, P < 0. 05; The scores in World Health Organization Quality of Life were lower and in SAS and SDS were higher in PTSD group than in non - PTSD group (t tests, after Bofferroni Corrected, P 0.001) ; The significant different morbidities existed in two groups, one of which obtained the social support (14. 74% ) and the other did not obtain the support (25% ). The x2 test result was x2 =4. 117, P < 0.05.Conclusions1. The higher PTSD incidence existed in the RTA victims who applied to court for a costs order, and social support could prevent PTSD; After the RAT, it will avoid the PTSD development that the victims are awarded reasonable costs as soon as quickly. The morbidities were associated with sex, but not with injury parts;2. It is more possible to develop PTSD with more severe injuries. Victims of PTSD showed more symptoms of depression and anxiety, and their qualities of life were damaged.3. The psychiatric injury could be assessed by medical examination;4. The psychiatric injury is the same importance as the physical injury, therefore, this injury could be individually litigated.5. This study supplied cumulating evidence for the psychopathological sequel of PTSD, which could protect the abuse in the compensation of psychiatric injury.
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