Investigation of Anxiety and Depression Predictors in Burn Patients Hospitalized at Velayat Hospital, a Newly Established Burn Center

Abstract

Abstract Burns are a leading cause of global mortality and disability. Burns have the mental, psychological and physical impact on the sufferers. Burn patients need special care, both physical and mental, and majority of them are suffering from symptom of difficulty, such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and isolation. Finding the predictors of post-burn anxiety and depression can accelerate the treatment and recovery process and maintain the mental health of the patients. The present study investigated the depression and anxiety predictors in burn patients admitted to a medical facility in northern Iran. The present study is a descriptive-analytical study with a cross-sectional methodology on all the burn patients (n = 611) admitted to the Velayat Subspecialty Burn and Reconstructive Surgery Center, Rasht, Iran during 2013–2019. The study tools included the demographic and clinical questionnaire and the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) for anxiety and depression. Data were collected using interviews. Data analysis was performed using the SPSS version 19 and the statistical tests of Chi-square and logistic regression test. The present study included 611 patients, with 61% males and 39% females. The mean age of the participants was 38.86 ± 18.39, while most participants were in the age group of 20–40 years. The most common cause of admission was burning by flames (36.7%), and most patients had third-degree burns (67%). Five hundred forty three patients showed mental symptoms, of which 343 (52.6%) had anxiety disorder symptoms, and 309 (47.4%) had symptoms suggestive of depression. The independent predictors of depression were found to be the gender (OR = 0.253), age group (OR = 0.706), and the degree of burn (OR = 0.406), while the independent predictors of anxiety disorder included the gender (OR = 1.669), age group (OR = 1.58), the classified burn area (OR = 0.653), marital status (OR = 0.532), and education level (OR = 0.773). It is important to identify predictors of depression and anxiety after burn. The predictors can serve as indicators that these patients may benefit from mental health evaluations and treatment.