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Abstract
There has been minimal research that has evaluated child burn survivors' Psychosocial Functioning and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptomalogy in relationship to their experience at summer camp. The purpose of this study was to examine the Missouri Children's Burn Camp experience to determine if the 7-day camp retreat experience acts as a psychological intervention for child burn survivors by increasing self-concept, health related quality of life, and effecting post-traumatic stress reactions. In addition, a qualitative analysis revealed several themes child burn survivors use to cope with their burn injury.
Measures administered included the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale, Second Edition (Piers-Harris 2), Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL), and the UCLA PTSD Index. In addition, a burn and demographic questionnaire was collected to gather the children's burn history and coping strategies.
A multimethod, multidimensional approach was used to assess the psychological functioning of the child burn survivors. Five major findings emerged. First, there was a significant pre to post trial difference related to the PedsQL (N = 35) total score, 2 domain scores (Emotional Functioning and School Functioning), and Psychosocial summary score. Second, a significant pre to post trial difference was found in the Piers-Harris 2 domain of Popularity (N = 30) and a trend was discovered in the domain of Happiness (N = 32). Third, an analysis of partial variance revealed which independent variables (grade, gender, ethnicity, attendance at camp, visibility of burn to others, ability to hide burns, days in the hospital, and days since the burn occurred) contributed to the pre to post differences on the psychosocial measures (PedsQL and Piers-Harris 2). Fourth, an exploratory analysis revealed a significant correlation between 8 child burn survivors PTSD severity score in relationship to their gender. In addition, the PTSD severity score was correlated with the Piers-Harris 2 Physical Appearance domain and the PedsQL Emotional Functioning domain. Fifth, the qualitative analysis revealed core themes regarding 53 child burn survivors coping mechanisms.
It is hoped that these findings will contribute to providing better care for the burn survivor community and provide more information for educators, medical staff, and future treatment modalities.
