Psychological Sequelae of Motor Vehicle Collision Entrapment: A Scoping Review
After a collision people can become trapped in their vehicle. This can be due to damage to the vehicle itself, or as a result of their injuries. We know that entrapment leads to worse physical health outcomes. Much less is known about its effects on mental health.
We carried out a scoping review to establish what is known about the impact of entrapment on a person’s mental health after a collision. We found a large gap in the literature in this area. No papers addressed this topic directly. Some qualitative studies of patients trapped due to a collision provided useful insights. Feelings of fear, helplessness and concern for others were common. Patients appreciated reassurance and emotional support from others whilst they were trapped.
Due to a lack of evidence available in our focus area, we carried out additional searches in related fields. Research shows that people who survive a motor vehicle collision in general are more likely to develop mental health problems. This includes post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression and phobias. Being trapped for other reasons, such as earthquakes, also risks poor mental health. We predict that entrapment after a motor vehicle collision may therefore present a severe threat to a person’s mental health.
Further research is needed to fill this important gap. Future efforts should focus on producing prevalence data and identifying risk factors. This could lead to changes in the way we care for these patients to minimise the risk to their mental health.
Authors
Thomas Dixon, Kara Hole, Tim Nutbeam
IMPACT, Devon Air Ambulance, University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, University of Plymouth
