Depression symptoms in burns: The influence of personality dimensions in a follow-up study

Studies show that burn patients may develop depressive symptoms. It is also known that some personality variables such as Neuroticism and Introversion are related to vulnerability to depression. Our study analysed how personality influenced the development of depressive symptoms six months after a burn injury in adult survivors. Participants were 109 adult burn survivors (18–75 years) admitted to a Burn Unit between April 2009 and November 2010. Personality was assessed using the Zuckerman–Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire and depression symptoms by the Beck Depression Inventory. Age, gender and burn size were adjusted. Results showed that Neuroticism-Anxiety (N-Anx) and Aggression-Hostility (Agg-Host) were stronger predictors of depressive symptoms six months after burn injury. These findings suggest that burn patients with high scores on N-Anx and Agg-Host are more prone to develop depressive symptoms.