Predictors for psychological distress of young burn survivors across three years: A cohort study of a burn disaster in Taiwan

Purpose: The study aims to investigate long-term psychological distress and its risk factors in the burn survivors. Design: A longitudinal study with follow-up interviews was conducted from November 2015–June 2018. A post-burn baseline interview was conducted 6 months after the event, followed by annual surveys for three years. Methods: The burn survivors received structured assessment through telephone in the four-wave interviews, including the five-item Brief Symptom Rating Scale (BSRS-5); two-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2); four-item Startle, Physiological Arousal, Anger, and Numbness Scale (SPAN-4); and six-item Impact of Event Scale (IES-6) alongside demographic data and other health-related assessment. Findings: A total of 180 respondents with the mean age of 23 years old completed the four waves of interview. Using the BSRS-5 as the outcome, each variable had different input in psychological distress during the follow-up years. The main finding was that the SPAN-4 score could predict more than 62% of psychological distress between 6 months and 3 years after the disaster. The generalized estimating equation demonstrated that SPAN-4, IES-6, family functioning impairment, hypnotics use, adaptation to the event, and PHQ-2 could predict psychological distress. However, the variable of follow-up year did not exemplify significant estimation in the model. Conclusions: The results indicated that different factors had various influences on psychological distress across the four follow-up stages. PTSD-like symptoms, depression, and anxiety were the most common psychological problems experienced by the young burn cohort in the longitudinal post-traumatic period. Clinical relevance: Healthcare providers should be aware of psychological consequences of traumatic events within up to a 3-year post-burn period, particularly post-traumatic stress, depression, and anxiety symptoms.