Citation

Orlas CP, Herrera-Escobar JP, Man Hau K, Velmahos A, Patel N, Sanchez S, Kaafarani HMA, Salim A, Nehra D. J. Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2021; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1097/TA.0000000000003230

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The strength of one's social support network is a potentially modifiable factor that may have a significant impact on recovery after injury. We sought to assess the association between one's perceived social support (PSS) and physical and mental health outcomes 6-12 months post-injury.

METHODS: Moderate-to-severely injured patients admitted to one of three Level I trauma centers were asked to complete a phone-based survey assessing physical and mental health outcomes in addition to return to work and chronic pain 6-12 months post-injury. Patients were also asked to rate the strength of their PSS on a 5-point Likert scale. Multivariate linear and logistic regression models were built to determine the association between PSS and post-discharge outcome metrics.

RESULTS: Of 907 patients included in this study, 653 (72.0%) identified themselves as having very strong/strong, 182 (20.1%) as average, and 72 (7.9%) as weak/non-existent PSS. Patients who reported a weak/non-existent PSS were younger and were more likely to be male, black and to have a lower level of education than those who reported a very strong/strong PSS. After adjusting for potential confounders, patients with a weak/non-existent PSS were more likely to have new functional limitations and chronic pain in addition to being less likely to be back at work/school and being more likely to screen positive for symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety at 6-12 months post-injury than those with a strong/very strong PSS.

CONCLUSION: Lower PSS is strongly correlated with worse functional and mental health outcome metrics post-discharge. The strength of one's social support network should be considered when trying to identify patients who are at greatest risk for poor post-discharge outcomes after injury. Our data also lends support to creating a system wherein we strive to build a stronger support network for these high-risk individuals. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic/epidemiologic, level III. TYPE OF STUDY: Prognostic, therapeutic, diagnostic test, economic/decision.

Language: en