Rates, trends, and severity of depression after burn injuries

J Burn Care Rehabil. 2001 Nov-Dec;22(6):417-24. doi: 10.1097/00004630-200111000-00012.

Abstract

It is commonly assumed that patients hospitalized for burn treatment will experience some level of depression. However, little is known about the trends in severity of depression over time. The purpose of this study was to determine the rates and severity of depression over a 2-year period. The Beck Depression Inventory was administered at 1 month (N = 151), 1 year (N = 130), and 2 years (N = 125) after discharge. At 1 month, 54% of patients showed symptoms of moderate to severe depression, and at 2 years, 43% of the patients responding still reported moderate to severe depression. The average correlation between scores over time was high. Women had higher depression scores than men at each time period. An interaction between gender and having a head or neck injury was also observed at 1 month and 1 year after discharge. Results suggest that routine outpatient screening for depression is warranted.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Analysis of Variance
  • Burns / complications*
  • Burns / pathology
  • Burns / psychology
  • Depressive Disorder / epidemiology*
  • Depressive Disorder / etiology*
  • Depressive Disorder / psychology
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Length of Stay
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Patient Discharge
  • Predictive Value of Tests
  • Psychological Tests
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Sex Factors
  • Time Factors