Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction for Treatment of PTSD in Road Traffic Accident Victims: Evaluating Its Efficacy in a Randomised Controlled Trial

Problem Statement and Gap of Knowledge:

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious mental health condition that can develop both immediately after and long after exposure to an extraordinary traumatic event. According to relevant literature, the prevalence of PTSD among road traffic victims is very high. Some scholars have pointed out that the incidence of PTSD symptoms among traffic accident victims may be as high as 25%(Miller, Millar, & Davis, 2012). Some clinical studies have even shown that the incidence of PTSD in this group is 7.53%(Ye et al, 2009).Almost all PTSD patients experience great suffering, which often leads to significant impairment of daily bodily functions, social relationships and overall quality of life, thus triggering long-term and persistent psychological, physical and social consequences. Drug therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) are currently the most commonly used traditional treatments in clinical practice to relieve PTSD symptoms. However, these treatments have revealed more limitations in clinical practice, such as drug side effects and limited treatment effects on patients(Stewart & Stotts, 2009). In addition, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is confrontational in its treatment approach, which requires patients to confront traumatic memories. This can be extremely challenging for those patients who have difficulty regulating their emotions or who experience post-traumatic dissociation(Foa, Hembree & Rothbaum, 2005).

Because we have encountered all these problems in clinical treatment, we urgently need to explore more advantageous treatment methods that we hope will more effectively relieve symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), reduce the impact of comorbid symptoms, and improve psychological resilience and quality of life in the long term. This has become the core issue in the current research field of PTSD. There is sufficient evidence to show that mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) can effectively treat a variety of mental health problems, including PTSD, and has achieved good treatment results(Kabat-Zinn,1990). Although some studies have explored the effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), there is currently a lack of research focusing on the long-term efficacy and mechanism of MBSR in the group of road traffic accident victims. Especially in modern society, where the number of vehicles is increasing rapidly, the number of PTSD cases caused by traffic accidents is also on the rise. Therefore, it is particularly important to explore ways to adapt MBSR treatment methods to the needs of this special group.

Rationale/ Justification of study:

This study aims to measure the efficacy of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in road traffic accident victims, to provide a more effective practical method for alleviating the condition of patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study will demonstrate and provide a theoretical basis for the effectiveness of mindfulness-based therapy for PTSD patients, particularly road accident victims to enhance the degree of mindfulness when facing traumatic events through MBSR. However, research on PTSD and mindfulness therapy is still lacking. Therefore, it is very meaningful to explore the impact of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) on the efficacy of PTSD patients, particularly in road traffic accident victims where data is scarce.