factors Influencing Adjustment of Burn Patients During Hospitalization

The relationship of a variety of premorbid emotional and physical factors to the adjustment of burn patients during hospitalization is examined. Patients were considered to have adjusted poorly if they developed marked regression, severe depression, delirium or unmanageable behavior. Prior physical problems and premorbid psychopathology were found to be significantly more frequent among those who adjusted poorly than those who adjusted well, while greater severity of burn appeared to contribute to development of psychiatric complications less significantly. Further, the group who adjusted poorly tended to have a greater frequency of changes or stresses in their life situation prior to injury, suggesting that recent experience may also contribute to psychiatric morbidity during hospitalization.