Prolonged adjustment difficulties among those with acute posttrauma distress following burn injury

This study examined the impact of mild to moderate symptoms of in-hospital posttrauma distress (PTD) following severe burn injury on quality; of life (QOL) at 2-month follow-up after controlling for preburn QOL, injury severi ty, and state Negative Affectivity (depression, body image dissatisfaction) and dispositional optimism-pessimism. Participants' (n = 86) self-report e stablished PTD and non-PTD groups (median split on Davidson Trauma Scale). After covarying preburn level of psychosocial QOL, PTD groups differed on p sychosocial functioning at follow-up. This effect remained after covarying injury severity, state NA, dispositional optimism-pessimism, and preburn Me ntal domain QOL. PTD groups also differed significantly on physical functio ning at follow-up after covarying preburn physical functional status. This effect was removed by controlling preburn Physical domain QOL and either in jury severity or state NA and dispositional optimism-pessimism. Therefore, PTD is related to significant impairments in the physical and psychosocial adjustment of survivors of severe bums regardless of pretrauma level of adj ustment. Injury severity and state NA and dispositional optimism-pessimism moderate the impact of PTD on physical bur not psychosocial adjustment.