Effects of Uncertainty and Resilience on Quality of Life in Burn Patients

Purpose: This study aimed to compare the levels of uncertainty, resilience, and quality of life between burn patients and to investigate the effects of uncertainty and resilience on quality of life.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a structured questionnaire. Inpatients from a general hospital with burns participated, and responses from 175 patients-86 in the acute stage and 89 in the rehabilitation stage-were analyzed. Data were collected using self-report questionnaires between August 10 and October 8, 2023.Results: The mean uncertainty score for rehabilitation-stage patients was 84.33, which was higher than that for acute-stage patients (79.21, p=.001). Meanwhile, the mean resilience and quality of life scores were significantly lower in rehabilitation-stage patients than in acute-stage patients. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that rehabilitation-stage patients had a lower quality of life than acute-stage patients in a model that included burn-related characteristics. Furthermore, uncertainty negatively affected quality of life in burn patients, whereas resilience exhibited a positive effect, with an explanatory power of 65.0%.Conclusion: It is necessary to develop programs for enhancing resilience, and efforts to reduce the uncertainty of burn patients with sufficient explanations of the burn treatment process are essential.