Predictors of emotional adjustment following traumatic injury: personal, social, and material resources

Introduction:The identification of factors influencing emotional adjustment after injury may elucidate the design of assessment and treatment procedures in emergency medicine settings and suggest targets for early intervention to prevent the later development of psychological impairment. Personal, social, and material resources may be influential factors and require further evaluation.Hypotheses:Greater experiential avoidance, social constraints on discussing the trauma experience, and loss of material resources would be associated with more of the symptoms of posttraumatic stress and depression following traumatic injury.Methods:Participants (n = 47) at a mean of 7.4 months post-injury, completed a telephone interview assessment, including evaluation of sociodemographic characteristics, conservation of resources, social constraints, acceptance and commitment, and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. Hypotheses were tested using multivariate regression analyses.Results:Only greater social constraints were uniquely predictive of greater PTSD symptomatology. Higher levels of experiential avoidance, social constraints, and loss of material resources all were associated with greater levels of depression.Conclusion:Assessment of personal coping style, receptivity of social network, and loss of potential material resources following traumatic injury may facilitate identification of individuals at-risk for poorer post-injury adaptation. Psychosocial interventions targeting such individuals may be promising.