Psychological repercussions in family members of hospitalised critical condition patients.
OBJECTIVE
We analysed the influence of certain variables [quality of life (QoL) and passage of time] of patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) on other variables (clinical dimensions of personality, family environment, fear of death) of their family members.


METHODS
Fifty-seven family members of ICU patients filled in five questionnaires when the patients stayed in the ICU, and 4 years later, the patients filled in a QoL questionnaire.


RESULTS
The following results were obtained: (1) Passage of time has influence on Agitation, Boredom-withdrawal, Psychopathic Deviation, and Psychological Inadequacy, only in family members of patients with good QoL; (2) family members score higher in Hypochondriasis, Suicidal Depression, Agitation, Anxious Depression, Guilt-resentment, Paranoia, Psychasthenia, Psychological Inadequacy, and Expression, and lower in Fear of the process of another's dying, when the patient was in ICU than 4 years later; (3) family members of patients with bad QoL 4 years after ICU score higher in Hypochondriasis, Suicidal Depression, Agitation, Schizophrenia, Psychasthenia and Psychological Inadequacy than did the family members of patients with good QoL.
Rodríguez
Agustín Martín
AM
Department of Personality and Psychological Assessment and Treatment, University of Seville, Spain.
Gregorio
Ma Angeles Pérez San
MA
Rodríguez
Antonio Galán
AG
D000328:Adult; D016638:Critical Illness / Q000523:psychology*; D005192:Family Health; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D008603:Mental Health; D010551:Personality; D011788:Quality of Life