Social support during intensive care unit stay might improve mental impairment and consequently health-related quality of life in survivors of severe acute respiratory distress syndrome

Table 5 Psychological impairment

Dimensions	'High-scoring patients (n = 18)	'Low-scoring patients' (n = 44)	t test
			t	d.f.	p
Somatization	69 ± 11	56 ± 12	- 3.92	60	0.0001
Obsessive-compulsive	68 ± 10	50 ± 11	- 6.20	60	0.0001
Interpersonal sensitivity	68 ± 11	49 ± 10	- 6.63	60	0.0001
Depression	70 ± 13	49 ± 9	- 6.21	60	0.0001
Anxiety	72 ± 8	52 ± 10	- 7.12	60	0.0001
Hostility	69 ± 11	50 ± 9	- 6.94	60	0.0001
Phobic anxiety	67 ± 10	50 ± 9	- 6.28	60	0.0001
Paranoid ideation	66 ± 9	49 ± 10	- 6.30	60	0.0001
Psychoticism	70 ± 9	49 ± 9	- 8.62	60	0.0001
Global Severity Index	73 ± 8	51 ± 11	- 7.60	60	0.0001

Psychological impairment is shown on the basis of scales of the Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R); scores are given as means ± SD. For each of the 90 items a rating on a five-step Lickert scale between 0 (not at all) and 4 (extremely) was possible. Data are presented as T values (mean 50; SD 10). In addition, T values of all patients are presented. For comparison between 'high-scoring patients' with a Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome 10-Questions Inventory (PTSS-10) score greater than or equal to the cutoff score of 35, indicating an increased risk for development of post-traumatic stress disorder, and 'low-scoring patients' with a PTSS-10 below the cutoff score, a t test for independent samples was used.

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