Evaluation of the posttraumatic growth inventory after severe burn injury in Western Australia: clinical implications for use

Abstract

Purpose: Posttraumatic growth (PTG) is “the subjective experience of positive psychological change reported as a result of the struggle with trauma”. Very few studies have explored PTG after burn injury. The Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) is a 21-item questionnaire which assesses five domains in which PTG has been found. First, the aim of this study was to assess how PTG presented after a severe burn, and second, whether it could be measured by the PTGI in Australian burn survivors.

Methods: A mixed method approach was used. Seventeen patients who had a severe burn injury at least 2 years previously were interviewed and completed the PTGI. The interviews were analyzed, then compared to the PTGI responses.

Results: PTG in burn survivors had similarities to PTG arising from other trauma. Burn-specific context such as heat intolerance and functional problems influenced the type of changes made. Barriers to PTG in relationships were related to guilt burden and visible scarring.

Conclusion: PTG presents similarly after burn to other trauma types, but has other features to consider when devising intervention strategies. The PTGI is a 5-min screening tool that adequately identifies the presence or absence of PTG in burn survivors in Western Australia, and can guide intervention.

Implications for rehabilitation:

• The Posttraumatic Growth Inventory is a 5-min screening tool that adequately identifies the degree of PTG in burn survivors in Western Australia.

• It is a quick and easy tool to use to identify the need for clinical intervention.

• It will also evaluate the effectiveness of strategies designed to target PTG.

• A mean score of 2.5 can be used as a threshold to guide intervention strategy.

Keywords:

• Assessment
• burn
• posttraumatic growth
• posttraumatic growth inventory
• quality of life
• recovery
• rehabilitation
• trauma

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the nursing staff and all members of the multi-disciplinary team for their help and support. We would also like to thank Kylie Black for her guidance in study design and method. In particular, we would like to thank all patients who honoured us with their time and involvement in this study.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no declarations of interest.