Post-traumatic growth in burn survivor patients, a preliminary study

Abstract

We present the preliminary results of a study on posttraumatic growth in patients included in the Fenix II research project developed in the Burns Unit of the University Hospital Vall d'Hebron, reference center for Catalonia and the Balearic Islands. For the study we used the narratives of patients in both inpatient and outpatient psychiatric and psychotherapy treatment after discharge. Based on the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 1996), semi-structured interviews were conducted with the Psychiatry Department staff working in the burn unit. This information was completed with narratives of patients during admission and early follow-up (up to 6 months after the burn). The results show that while few patients posed substantial changes in the dimensions of Meaning of Life and Beliefs in this stage of recovery, many patients reported the importance of the Relationship with Others and aspects such as Empathy and Social Support. Although during hospitalization data is inconclusive, many patients report improvements in the perception of themselves in the monitoring phase. The convalescence phase in which data were collected, seems too early to assess global Changes in Life.