Personality Characteristics and Perceived Health Problems After Burn Injury

Abstract

The relationship between personality traits and the perceived outcome of burn injury 1 to 18 years (mean, 9.2 years) after severe burn injury was evaluated in 166 individuals treated at the Uppsala Burn Unit. The perceived outcome was measured with the Burn Specific Health Scale-Brief (BSHS-B) and was related to personality traits evaluated by means of the Swedish universities Scales of Personality. After controlling for age at inquiry, time since injury, burn area, and sex, a stepwise logistic regression analysis revealed an association between the Swedish universities Scales of Personality domain Neuroticism and Bad outcome in all BSHS-B domains, both psychosocial and physical, and Insufficient outcome in the domains Work, Body image, Affect, and BSHS-B total score. The neurotic traits Somatic trait anxiety, Psychic trait anxiety, Stress susceptibility, Embitterment, and Mistrust each or in different combinations explained the observed relationships. The data suggest that personality is related to health status because it is perceived a long time after severe burn injury and that its effect is not confined only to psychological but also to physical aspects of life.

The impact of personality and coping on the development of depressive symptoms in adult burns survivors

“…This finding indicates that individuals high in neuroticism appear to engage in avoidant coping which, in turn, results in more severe depressive symptoms. It also supports the proposition that avoidant coping may be more closely related to neuroticism than other forms of coping [14]. Consistent patterns have been reported in relation to predictors of PTSD following burn injury [7].…”

“…For example, while avoidant strategies such as distraction, substance use and daydreaming are generally considered maladaptive [14], there is some evidence to suggest that some avoidant strategies may facilitate adjustment immediately following a traumatic experience [7] as a way of protecting the individual from overwhelming emotions [21]. In contrast, a recent study found an association between avoidant coping and higher levels of depression during the acute phase of recovery from burn injury [22].…”

“…These findings suggest that personality and coping factors play an important role in the development of PTSD and adjustment in burns survivors. Yet, the extent to which personality and coping factors predict depressive symptoms amongst burn survivors remains unclear [14,15]. While neuroticism has also been linked to unpleasant affective states [16] and is considered a vulnerability factor in the development of depression in medical populations [17], the extent to which neuroticism impacts on the development of depressive symptoms in the burns population is uncertain.…”

Adverse mood effects during postmenopausal hormone treatment in relation to personality traits

“…There has been an increasing interest concerning the relationship between personality characteristics and health-related behaviors as well as between personality characteristics and perceived health 11,12 . Personality traits are known to be associated with a history of depression, although the causal relationship between depression and certain personality traits, such as high levels of interpersonal dependency, lack of self-confidence, and high levels of neuroticism and introversion, is unclear 13,14 .…”

Coping Strategies of Eight Patients With Significant Burn Injury

“…10 Although personality is not easy to change, studies showed that patients' personality would change during the long disease course. 11 The adaptation process was a self-regulating course, and many patients achieved self-growth after the long journey. 12,13 Previous studies on postburn coping have shown that coping strategies play an important part in psychosocial adaptation to the burn, returning to normal life, mediating and predicting PTSDs, and depression after burn.…”