PTSD in persons with burns: An explorative study examining relationships with attributed responsibility, negative and positive emotional states

A sample of 90 persons who had been hospitalized for severe burns were interviewed 1–4 years after the incident. Current DSM-IV post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was assessed with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Perceived attributed responsibility and related positive and negative emotional states were examined using a semi-structured interview. Findings showed that PTSD was established in 8% of the participants and partial PTSD in 13%. In a homogeneity analysis (HOMALS), PTSD was associated with the attribution of responsibility for the incident to impersonal relationships and with a negative emotional state. The absence of (partial) PTSD was associated with the attribution of responsibility to close relationships, internal and circumstance-related attribution of responsibility and neutral or forgiving feelings. In logit analyses, both emotional state as well as attributed responsibility are significantly related to (partial) PTSD. However, the model including emotional state showed to have the best fit. Although further research is needed, these results may indicate that professionals working in burn care should consider the emotional state in relation to perceived attribution of responsibility when considering PTSD. Promoting forgiveness may be a beneficial strategy in dealing with post-traumatic stress reactions.