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Road Trauma Injury / Post Traumatic Stress Disorder / Stress Disorders, Post Traumatic · Journal article
European Journal of Psychotraumatology · June 10, 2026
Encouraging direction, but not yet definitive.
This prospective cohort study of 1,042 road trauma survivors identified three distinct PTSD trajectories over 12 months—Chronic, Delayed-Recovery, and Resilient—with the first two classes showing persistent deficits in full recovery, return to work, and daily activities. The high-risk trajectories were associated with female sex, pre-injury somatic symptoms, pain catastrophizing, psychological distress, and greater injury severity, suggesting early intervention targeting PTSD and chronic pain may improve outcomes.
Prospective cohort study. 1,042 survivors of road trauma recruited from Canadian emergency departments between July 2018 and March 2020.. Intervention: No intervention; observational study of PTSD trajectory patterns. n = 1,042. Canadian emergency departments.
Three distinct PTSD trajectories identified: Chronic, Delayed-Recovery, and Resilient Chronic and Delayed-Recovery participants showed significant and persistent deficits in full recovery, return to work, and return to usual daily activities compared to Resilient class High-risk groups characterized by high pre-injury health-related quality of life followed by sharp decline, more likely to be female, with greater pain catastrophizing and injury pain
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Clinicians should recognize the heterogeneity of PTSD trajectories following road trauma and consider early identification of high-risk patients (particularly female, with pain catastrophizing, psychological distress, and high injury severity) for targeted early intervention addressing the mutually reinforcing relationship between PTSD and chronic pain.
Prospective cohort study identifies three distinct PTSD trajectories post-road trauma and associates them with recovery outcomes, but lacks a comparator arm and relies on observational data without intervention testing.
As stated by the source record.
Quoted from the source exactly as published.
Clinicians should recognize the heterogeneity of PTSD trajectories following road trauma and consider early identification of high-risk patients (particularly female, with pain catastrophizing, psychological distress, and high injury severity) for targeted early intervention addressing the mutually reinforcing relationship between PTSD and chronic pain.
Graded across the dimensions that decide whether you should act, each from what the source actually supports. There is no single score, and where a dimension was not assessed it says so.
Background: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the most common psychological consequences following road trauma (RT), leading to physical and psychological impairments.Objectives: This study aims to identify distinct PTSD trajectories following RT and examine their association with recovery outcomes.Methods: We analyzed data from a prospective cohort of 1042 survivors recruited from Canadian emergency departments between July 2018 and March 2020. PTSD symptoms were assessed using the PTSD Checklist-Specific version (PCL-S) at 2, 4, 6, and 12 months post-injury. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) was measured using the Short Form and the 5-level EuroQol instrument at baseline and follow-up. Self-reported recovery outcomes, including full recovery and return to work and daily activities, were also evaluated at these intervals.Results: Three distinct trajectories were identified for PTSD measures: Chronic, Delayed-Recovery, and Resilient. Participants in the Chronic and Delayed-Recovery trajectories were identified as high-risk groups. These individuals were characterized by high pre-injury HRQoL, followed by a sharp decline thereafter. They exhibit the most significant and persistent deficits in full recovery, return to work, and return to usual daily activities compared to the Resilient class. Patients in these classes are also more likely to be female and exhibit more pre-injury somatic symptoms, pain catastrophizing, psychological distress, no expectations for a fast recovery, higher injury severity, and greater injury pain.Conclusions: This study demonstrates the heterogeneity of PTSD symptom trajectories and emphasizes the importance of addressing PTSD early in the recovery process. The strong link between high-risk trajectories, pain catastrophizing, and greater injury pain suggests that early interventions should target the mutually reinforcing relationship between PTSD and chronic pain.
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