Impulsiveness and burn patients

Abstract

Objective: Impulsiveness is a tendency to act quickly based on a whim without reflection or consideration of consequences. We studied its correlations with burn variables and mental disorders among burn patients. Methods: Consecutive acute burn patients (N=107) admitted to the Helsinki Burn Center were assessed with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV mental disorders (SCID) at baseline and at 6 months. All patients filled out the 30-item Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11), the most commonly administered self-report measure and a standard point of reference in research on impulsiveness. Results: The mean total score of BIS-11 was 64.5 (range 41.0-87.8, SD +/- 6.9). There was not a significant correlation between impulsiveness and a range of characteristics of burn injury (all p-values >0.05). We found a significant correlation between some pre-burn mental disorders and impulsiveness, alcohol dependence and attentional impulsiveness (OR=1.22, p=0.022), any personality disorder and non-planning impulsiveness (OR=1.21, p=0.005), and antisocial personality disorder and motor impulsiveness (OR=1.35, p=0.043). Patients with high impulsiveness (total score >65) more often than those with low impulsiveness ( Conclusion: Impulsiveness had a significant correlation with mental disorders but not with burn-related variables. Therefore the role of impulsiveness in burn injuries should not be investigated independently without first accounting for the role of mental disorders. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.