Objective To investigate the relationship between the level of psychological stress and social support in family members of patients with accidental trauma in the emergency department.

Methods A total of 96 family members of patients with accidental trauma in the emergency department were enrolled as trauma group, and 100 family members of hospitalized patients with chronic diseases were selected as chronic disease group. The differences in scores of the Family Stress Scale (RSS), the Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90), the Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS), and the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) were compared between the two groups. Simple linear correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlations of the RSS scores with SCL-90, SSRS and ZBI scores in the trauma group.

Results The degree of life disruption, negative emotions, and total RSS score in the trauma group were higher than those in the chronic disease group (P < 0.05). The scores of somatization, interpersonal sensitivity, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, hostility, depression, phobia, anxiety, paranoia, psychoticism and overall SCL-90 score in the trauma group were significantly higher than those in the chronic disease group (P < 0.05). The SSRS score in the trauma group was significantly higher than that in the chronic disease group, while the ZBI score was significantly lower than that in the chronic disease group (P < 0.05). Linear correlation analysis showed that the total RSS score of family members in the trauma group was significantly positively correlated with ZBI score and SCL-90 score, but was significantly negatively correlated with the SSRS score (P < 0.05).

Conclusion Family members of patients with accidental trauma in the emergency department experience significantly elevated levels of psychological stress, which is inversely related to the social support.