title: Three Years After Black Saturday: Long-Term Psychosocial Adjustment of Burns Patients as a Result of a Major Bushfire.
abstract: Despite increasing evidence that burn injuries can result in multiple psychological sequelae, little is known about the long-term psychosocial adjustment to burns sustained in a major bushfire. The aim of the present study was to assess long-term psychological distress and health-related quality of life in Australian burns patients as a result of the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires. Eight male and five female burns patients with a mean age of 53.92 (SD = 11.82) years who received treatment at a statewide burns service participated in the study. A battery of standardized questionnaires was administered to assess general psychological distress, burns-specific and generic health-related quality of life, alcohol use, and specific psychological symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety. The results revealed that more than 3 years after Black Saturday 33% of the burns patients still suffered "high" to "very high" levels of general distress, whereas 58% fulfilled partial or full criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder. Furthermore, participants still experienced significantly impaired physical health functioning as compared to their preinjury status including limitations in work-based activities, increased bodily pain, and lower vitality overall. The trajectory of distress varied for participants. Some individuals experienced little distress overall, whereas others displayed a decline in their stress levels over time. Notwithstanding, some patients maintained high levels of distress throughout or experienced an increase in distress at a later stage of recovery. The results point to the importance of psychosocial screening to identify distress early. Follow-up assessments are crucial to diagnose individuals with chronic or late onset of distress.
authors.affiliation: From the *Victorian Adult Burns Service, Department of Psychology; †Department of Psychology and Department of Psychiatry, The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; ‡School of Psychological Science, Faculty of Science, Technology & Engineering, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; §Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, The Alfred and Monash University Central Clinical School, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; ‖Australian Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Australia; ¶Victorian Adult Burns Service, Alfred Hospital, Department of Surgery, Central & Eastern Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; #Victorian Adult Burns Service and School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; and **Department of Psychiatry, Central & Eastern Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Birgit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pfitzer
authors.forename: Lynda Jane
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Katona
authors.forename: Stuart J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Meaghan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: O'Donnell
authors.forename: Heather
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cleland
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wasiak
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ellen
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D002056:Burns / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D012917:Social Adjustment; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires