Posttraumatic stress and maladjustment among adult burn survivors 1 to 2 years postburn. Part II: the interview data.

The purpose of this study was to assess the reaction to burn trauma, the hospitalisation characteristics and psychosocial adjustment in 174 burn victims who agreed to participate in a structured interview. It was postulated that once patients sustain a burn, the level of loneliness feelings and feelings of shame is a function of the visibility of the scars. Contrary to expectation, the visibility of the burn scars was not a predictor of pathological feelings of shame. By contrast, social introversion was a factor significantly associated with the development of burn related pathological feelings of shame.