Post-traumatic stress symptoms and distress 1 year after burn injury

J Burn Care Rehabil. 2000 Mar-Apr;21(2):105-11. doi: 10.1097/00004630-200021020-00005.

Abstract

The occurrence and predictors of post-traumatic stress symptoms 1 year after a burn injury were assessed in a large prospective sample (N = 172). Participants completed a self-report post-traumatic stress symptom checklist at 3 time points: within 24 hours of admission to a burn center, 1 month after the injury, and 1 year after the injury. A notable number of participants had a range of post-traumatic stress symptoms both at 1 month and at 1 year after the burn injury. More than half of the sample reported recurrent intrusive recollections of the burn injury at 1 month and at 1 year. Other commonly endorsed symptoms were sleep disturbance, avoidance of thoughts or feelings associated with the burn, and distress at reminders of the burn. The number of post-traumatic stress symptoms endorsed at 1 month was the only significant predictor of post-traumatic stress symptoms at 1 year. These results suggest that it is common for patients to have some post-traumatic symptoms 1 year after a burn injury and that early experiences of post-traumatic stress symptoms may be associated with the development or maintenance of post-traumatic stress disorder. We recommend that burn care professionals identify and intervene with patients who have clinically significant distress as a result of their burn injuries.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Burns / complications*
  • Burns / psychology*
  • Burns / therapy
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Injury Severity Score
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Multivariate Analysis
  • Patient Participation
  • Prevalence
  • Prospective Studies
  • Quality of Life*
  • Regression Analysis
  • Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / diagnosis
  • Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / epidemiology
  • Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / etiology*
  • Surveys and Questionnaires