Coping strategies during hospitalization and recovery following motor vehicle trauma: A personal account

Described in this paper are the multiple injuries the author sustained as a result of a serious motor vehicle accident five years previously and the subsequent surgical and medical treatment. Also described are the different coping and adaptive skills he utilised during and after hospitalization and how the nature of surgical and medical intervention and nursing practices affected their usefulness and effectiveness. Recommendations for psychologists when engaging with hospital patients facing similar treatments, are provided.