ANIACARES: Presentation of a case study on a model of early psychological intervention for road accidents victims

Road crashes are a major social emergency in Europe. In addition to the enormous social costs, they often result in severe psychological distress both for the individuals directly involved and their loved ones. In Italy, no specific psychological first aid and rehabilitation program exists for road crashes victims. For this purpo- se, ANIACARES, a scientifically grounded first-aid program specifically designed for road accident victims, was developed. The case study below is reported to better describe the activities and the psychological techniques used by the ANIACARES psychologists. The patient was an 18-year-old young adult admitted to the intensive care unit of one of the General Hospitals in Rome following a road crash. The first part of the intervention took place in the hospital ward and it continued at patient’s home.