Psychological consequences of burn injury.
The major psychological sequelae experienced by patients 1 year after burn injury were investigated. Data were collected on a consecutive series of adult burn patients, (n = 55), including major demographic and epidemiological characteristics. Participants (n = 23) completed the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS), the Impact of Event Scale (IES) and a questionnaire covering functional impairment, visibility of the burn, experience of pain, etc. Over one-third of the patients (36.4 per cent) were found to have premorbid characteristics which could predispose them to injury. Over one-third (34.7 per cent) were still experiencing significant psychological problems. Anxiety was most common, followed by posttraumatic stress symptoms and depression. The visibility of the burn was found to be a useful factor in the prediction of psychological outcome (P = 0.001-0.018). No additional variables were found to increase the significance of prediction. Patients indicated that practical advice in the form of staff-led discussions, before or immediately after discharge, would be the most valuable help.
Williams
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Bangour Village Hospital, Broxburn, West Lothian, Scotland.
Griffiths
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D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology; D002056:Burns / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D006801:Humans; D011581:Psychological Tests; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires