Validation of the German version of the Burn Specific Health Scale-Brief (BSHS-B).
BACKGROUND
The Burn Specific Health Scale-Brief (BSHS-B) is recognized as a valid self-rating scale to evaluate quality of life after burn.


OBJECTIVE
To validate the translated German version of the BSHS-B.


METHODS
One hundred and forty one burn survivors (65.2% men) with a mean age of 49.62 years (SD=15.16) and a mean duration after burn of 45.01 months (SD=26.18) answered the BSHS-B. Factor structure was tested by using confirmatory factor analysis, reliability (internal consistency) of the scales was determined by means of Cronbach's α. Construct validity was explored through correlations between the BSHS-B and the Short-Form 8 Health Survey (SF-8). In addition, the know-groups technique was used to determine to which degree the BSHS-B discriminates between patients with low and high burn severity based on the abbreviated burn severity index (ABSI). The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was used to examine criterion validity.


RESULTS
The nine BSHS-B subscales showed good internal consistency. A second-order confirmatory factor analysis revealed the following main components: (1) Affect and Relationship, (2) Function and (3) Skin Involvement. The second-order factors were positively correlated with the SF-8 and negatively correlated with symptoms of anxiety and depression. Patients with low ABSI scored higher on all three BSHS-B domains than those with high ABSI.


CONCLUSIONS
The results indicate good psychometric properties of the German BSHS-B. Further studies are needed to investigate the utility of the questionnaire in clinical routine practice, evaluation of burn management programs, and burn-specific research.
Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany. Electronic address: mueller.astrid@mh-hannover.de.
Astrid
A
Müller
Odisee University College, Brussels, Belgium; Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Dirk
D
Smits
Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
Stefanie
S
Jasper
Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
Lea
L
Berg
Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Laurence
L
Claes
Department of Plastic, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
Ramin
R
Ipaktchi
Department of Plastic, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
Peter M
PM
Vogt
Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
Martina
M
de Zwaan
D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D002056:Burns / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*; D014177:Translations; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices
German Burn Specific Health Scale-Brief; Health-related quality of life; Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; Reliability; Validity