39 Silent Scars: Distinguishing the Psychiatric Morbidities Following Burn Injuries Between Males and Females

TL;DR

This study finds that men and women experience different mental health outcomes after burn injuries, with women more likely to face anxiety and depression, while men are more prone to suicide attempts and substance use.

Contribution

The study reveals gender-specific patterns in psychiatric outcomes following burn injuries, highlighting the need for tailored mental health interventions.

Findings

Women had higher risks of anxiety and depression at 3 months and 1 year post-burn compared to men.

Men were more likely to attempt suicide and develop substance use disorders than women after burn injuries.

Gender-specific mental health interventions are recommended based on these findings.

Abstract

Burns have a profound impact on long-term psychiatric health. However, gender differences in mental health outcomes following burn injuries remain unclear. This retrospective cohort study aims to investigate gender differences in mental health co-morbidities among burned patients.

Adult burn patients (≥18 years) were identified using the TriNetX Network database and were stratified by gender. Mental health outcomes, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, suicide ideation and attempts, adjustment disorders, and substance use disorders were assessed at both 3 months and 1-year after burn. Risk ratios (RRs) were used and significance was set at p< 0.05 with 95% confidence intervals.

TriNetX identified 248,919 women and 261,985 men with burns across 63 healthcare organizations. We performed the propensity score matching between two groups for age, race, ethnicity, and burn severity. At 3 months, women exhibited significantly higher risks of anxiety (RR = 1.545) and depression (RR = 1.394) but presented significantly lower risks of suicide attempts (RR = 0.789) and substance use disorders (RR = 0.568) compared to men. At three months, PTSD and adjustment disorders were not significantly different. At the 1-year mark, women had significantly higher risks of anxiety (RR = 1.805), depression (RR = 1.587), PTSD (RR = 1.263), and adjustment disorders (RR = 1.351) but lower risks for suicide attempts (RR = 0.901) and substance abuse disorders (RR = 0.697) compared to men (p< 0.05).

Significant gender differences in mental health outcomes were identified from 3 months to 1 year following burn injuries, with women more prone to anxiety, depression, adjustment disorders, and PTSD, and men more susceptible to suicide attempts and substance use disorders. These findings emphasize consideration for gender-specific mental health interventions in burn care.

Incorporating gender-specific psychiatric care in burn rehabilitation should be considered.

This research was funded by a Clinical and Translational Science Award (UL1 TR001439) from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences at the NIH.