Efficacy of a burn-specific cognitive-behavioral group training Annika Seehausen a , Sabine Ripper b , Gu ¨ nter Germann b , Bernd Hartmann a , Gerhard Wind b , Babette Renneberg c, * a Department of Hand, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Burn Centre, BG Trauma Centre, Berlin, Germany b Department of Hand, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Burn Centre, BG Trauma Centre, Ludwigshafen, Germany c Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Freie Universita ¨t Berlin, Berlin, Germany 1. Introduction Due to the improvement of intensive care procedures for severely burned patients the probability of survival has increased enormously in the last decades [1]. This develop- ment has led to the question of long-term health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of surviving burn patients. The extent of patients’ HRQoL – including not only physical functioning but also mental health and social participation – is a broadly accepted construct in research and clinical practice to evaluate overall rehabilitation outcomes [2]. Recent studies showed that burn patients report high levels of psychosocial resources such as social support, optimism, and self-efficacy [3,4]. However, coping with the consequences of a burn injury, such as pain, functional limitations, aesthetic changes, and intruding memories of the accident is psychologically dis- tressing for many patients. Especially the time after discharge is a challenging phase, because patients have to deal with the physical disabilities and the organization of medical aftercare in their daily lives [5]. Outside the hospital, many burn victims fear negative reactions from the social environment regarding b u r n s 4 1 ( 2 0 1 5 ) 3 0 8 – 3 1 6 a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Accepted 5 July 2014 Keywords: Burn injury Group intervention Psychological distress Quality of life a b s t r a c t Objective: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of a newly developed cognitive-behavioral group training, specifically designed for burn patients. Method: In a multicenter-study data pre- and post treatment and at 6-month follow-up were obtained from participants of the group program (Intervention group, IG; n = 86) and a control group who received treatment as usual (TAU; n = 128). Outcome variables of psy- chological distress, resources and health-related quality of life of both groups were com- pared using linear mixed models. Results: Up to 6 months after group treatment, the IG reported a substantial decline of general symptom severity as well as posttraumatic stress, whereas the TAU group showed no significant change over time. Optimism increased in the IG after group treatment, but not in the TAU group. Regarding overall quality of life both groups showed a gradual improve- ment over the three assessment points. Conclusion: he newly developed burn-specific cognitive-behavioral group intervention had positive effects on psychological well-being and resources of burn participants. As a consequence, the group intervention has been implemented as inherent part of the regular burn treatment in two rehabilitation centers in Germany. # 2014 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved. * Corresponding author. Tel.: +49 30 838 561 88. E-mail address: b.renneberg@fu-berlin.de (B. Renneberg). Available online at www.sciencedirect.com ScienceDirect journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/burns http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.burns.2014.07.006 0305-4179/# 2014 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.