The Impact of Motor Vehicle Accidents on the Psychological Well-being of At-fault Drivers and Related Passengers

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This study assessed the effects of motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) on drivers' and passengers' responsibility attribution, and levels of psychological distress and well-being. A total of 321 MVA victims from the state of Queensland, Australia, participated in this study by responding to a questionnaire designed to measure the study's critical variables. Of the sample, 221 were drivers (99 males, 122 females) and 100 were passengers (31 males, 69 females). Of the passengers, 47 percent reported that they were related to the driver, while 53 percent reported that they were not related to the driver. The drivers were categorized by their attribution of responsibility for their accidents, with a resultant 20 percent perceiving themselves to be at fault, and 80 percent perceiving themselves not to be at fault. Results obtained from MANOVAs showed that there was a significant decrease in reported well-being for both passenger- and driver-victims following their accidents. For drivers, the decrease was significantly greater for those who did not accept responsibility for their accidents than those who did. Path analysis showed that blaming others for the accident was associated with higher levels of psychological distress and a lower level of psychological well-being (PWB) for both passengers and drivers. For drivers, accepting responsibility for the accident was associated with lower levels of psychological distress and a higher level of PWB. Implications for the development of coping strategies for MVA victims are discussed.