J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc.  2011 Jul;50(4):305-309.

Comparison of the Quality of Life in Facial Burn Patients by Anxiety Trait

• Kim KH
• Son BK
• Kim DH
• Lee SK
• Choi IG
• Lee BC
• Jung MH

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
This study was designed to evaluate the quality of life in facial burn patients and its relationship to anxiety.
METHODS
The study subjects consisted of 36 patients in a burn center after a burn injury. The assessment of quality of life was performed using a clinical administered SF-36 scale. All participants were instructed to complete the State and Trait Anxiety Inventory of Spielberger, the Beck Depression Inventory.
RESULTS
There was no correlation between the trait of anxiety and the degree of the burn. The patients who had a high score in the Trait Anxiety Inventory after the burn injury showed a low quality of life at the one year follow-up. But the patients who had a low score in the Trait Anxiety Inventory showed a better quality of life than patients who had a mild burn injury.
CONCLUSION
The results of this study suggest that the patients who had severe facial burns with a high score in the Trait Anxiety Inventory showed the specific properties of a low quality of life. Therefore, they needed intensive care from the beginning of the burn injury. In this process, resilience plays a major role in adapting to acute stress, especially burns, and anxiety is one of the protective factors in resilience.

Keyword

State and Trait Anxiety Inventory; Burn; Resilience

MeSH Terms

Anxiety
Burn Units
Burns
Depression
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Critical Care
Quality of Life