Citation

Rodríguez AM, San Gregorio MP. Span. J. Psychol. 2005; 8(1): 36-44.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2005, Complutense University of Madrid, Publisher Cambridge University Press)

DOI

10.1017/S1138741600004947

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The aim of this study is to analyze how the length of time a patient spends in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) affects close relatives, with regard to specific clinical variables of personality, family relationships and fear of death. The study group consisted of 57 relatives of seriously ill patients admitted to the ICU of "Virgen del Rocio" Rehabilitation and Trauma Hospital (Seville, Spain). The instruments applied were: a psychosocial questionnaire, clinical analysis questionnaire, family environment scale and fear of death scale. The relatives of patients admitted to ICU obtained higher scores in hypochondria, suicidal depression, agitation, anxious depression, guilt-resentment, paranoia, psychasthenia, psychological maladjustment and self-expression, and less in fear of their own death, as when compared to interviews with the same relatives 4 years later. The length of time a patient spent in the ICU influenced relatives in some clinical variables of personality, family relationships and fear of death. Copyright 2005 by The Spanish Journal of Psychology.

Language: en

Keywords

adult; human; female; male; depression; scoring system; suicide attempt; interview; Personality; article; anxiety neurosis; controlled study; psychological aspect; hospital admission; length of stay; fear; intensive care unit; coping behavior; guilt; relative; critical illness; agitation; maladjustment; emotional stability; Intensive care; hypochondriasis; Family environment; adaptation syndrome; Fear of death; psychasthenia