Depression, anxiety and quality-of-life among relatives of patients with severe brain injury: The acute phase

Anne Norup, Karen-Lise Welling, Jesper Qvist, Lars Siert, Erik L Mortensen

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28 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Primary objective: To investigate the emotional well-being of relatives of patients with a severe brain injury in the acute setting, as well as risk factors associated with high anxiety and depression scores and impaired quality-of-life. Research design: Clinical convenience sample. Methods and procedures: Participants included 45 relatives of patients with severe brain injury recruited at a NICU. All relatives completed selected scales from the SCL-90-R and SF-36 ~ 14 days after injury. Data concerning the condition of the patient were also collected. Main outcome and results: Of the relatives, 51% and 69% reported anxiety and depression, respectively, as well as significantly impaired quality-of-life compared to normal reference populations. Regression analysis revealed that up to 20% of the variance in depression and anxiety scores could be explained by the CRASH 2 Mortality prediction. Conclusions: The majority of the relatives had severely impaired quality-of-life and symptoms of anxiety and depression during the patient's NICU stay. Future research is required to explore stressors and evaluate effects of psychological intervention in the acute setting.
Original languageEnglish
JournalBrain Injury
Volume26
Issue number10
Pages (from-to)1192-1200
Number of pages9
ISSN0269-9052
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2012

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