OBJECTIVES: To examine trajectories of satisfaction with life (SWL) of burn survivors over time and their clinical, demographic and other predictors.
DESIGN: Longitudinal survey. SETTING: N/A. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals 18 and over who underwent burn-related surgery and met one of the following criteria: (1) > 10% total burn surface area (TBSA) burn and ≥ 65 years of age; (2) > 20% TBSA burn and 18 to 64 years of age; (3) electrical high voltage/lightning injury; or (4) burn injury to the hands, face, or feet. A total of 378 participants had data on all variables of interest and were included in the analyses. INTERVENTIONS: N/A. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Satisfaction with Life Scale RESULTS: Growth mixture modeling (GMM) identified two classes with different trajectories of SWL. The mean SWL of the unchanged class (n=224, 60%) was flat over two years with high initial SWL scores. The SWL of the dissatisfied class (n=154, 40%) was at the low end of average and got progressively worse over time.
CONCLUSIONS: SWL after burn injury can be described by two different trajectories with substantially different outcomes. Older age, mental health and unemployment prior to injury predicted the membership in the dissatisfied class. Additional services could be provided to those at high risk for low SWL to achieve better outcomes.