The importance of self-regulation and mental health for effective recovery after traffic injuries: a comprehensive network analysis approach

Objective: Traffic injuries significantly impact people's psychological, physical and social wellbeing, and involve complex self-regulation responses. Psychological impacts are seldom recognized and addressed holistically. This study employs network analysis to investigate the interconnectedness between different dimensions that influence mental health vulnerability and recovery after traffic injuries. Methods: 120 adults with mild-to-moderate traffic injuries and 112 non-injured controls were recruited. The network investigation employed two main approaches. Four cross-sectional networks examined the interrelationships between self-regulation responses (cognitive and autonomic) and various health dimensions (psychological, physical, social) over time (1, 3, 6, 12 months). Three predictive networks explored influences of acute self-regulation responses (1 month) on long-term outcomes. Network analyses focused on between-group differences in overall connectivity and centrality measures (nodal strength). Results: An overall measure of psychological wellbeing consistently emerged as the most central (strongest) node in both groups' networks. Injured individuals showed higher overall connectivity and differences in the centrality of self-regulation nodes compared to controls, at 1-month and 12-months post-injury. These patterns were similarly observed in the predictive networks, including differences in cognitive and autonomic self-regulation influences. Conclusions: Network analyses highlighted the crucial role of psychological health and self-regulation, in promoting optimal wellbeing and effective recovery. Post-traffic injury, increased connectivity indicated prolonged vulnerability for at least a year, underscoring the need of ongoing support beyond the initial improvements. A comprehensive approach that prioritizes psychological health and self-regulation through psychologically informed services, early psychological screening, and interventions promoting cognitive and autonomic self-regulation is crucial for mitigating morbidity and facilitating recovery. Trial registration: IMPRINT study, ACTRN 12616001445460.