Development of the coping with burns questionnaire

The aim of this study was to develop a questionnaire for measuring coping f ollowing burn injury. Furthermore, the relationship between coping and heal th status was explored. Participants were 162 burn patients at the Burn Uni t of Uppsala University Hospital who were seen between 1980 and 1995. Healt h status was measured with an abbreviated version of the Burn Specific Heal th Scale (BSHS-B). Coping was measured retrospectively with the Coping with Burns Questionnaire (CBQ) containing 33 items. A principal components fact or analysis of the CBQ resulted in six factors, with alphas ranging between 0.56 and 0.83. These were Re-evaluation:adjustment, Avoidance, Emotional s upport, Optimism;problem solving, Self-control, and Instrumental action. Re -evaluation/adjustment, Avoidance, Self-control and Instrumental action wer e related to a higher appraisal of some of the symptoms measured by the BSH S-B, but Avoidance was related to all symptoms in the BSHS-B. Emotional sup port and Optimism/problem solving were related to less symptom reporting. I mplications for the aftercare of burn patients are discussed as well as sug gestions for subsequent studies of coping and symptoms following burn injur y. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.