Rorschach responding in children and adolescents who have been severely burned

Psychological consequences of surviving thermal injury in children and adolescents were examined through their Rorschach responding. Participants were 98 reconstructive patients aged 6 through 21 from Shriner's Burns Institute in Galveston, Texas. Percentages of patients with positive clinical indices were: 49%, Coping Deficit Index; 26%, Depression Index; and 23%, Schizophrenic Index. These results were interpreted as learned helplessness, depressive feelings, and inner struggle to master trauma. Other findings indicate poor perceptual accuracy (X + %), disturbed interpersonal relationships (T), low self-esteem (3r + 2/R), and increased anxiety (m). When the group was divided by high and low lambda, age, and time in years from burn, significant differences were revealed. There were no significant differences between groups when the sample was divided by facial scarring, gender, or severity of burn. This sample of young patients gave Rorschach responses that were similar to those given by other groups of traumatized youngsters.