Citation

Grieve B, Shapiro GD, Wibbenmeyer L, Acton A, Lee A, Marino M, Jette A, Schneider JC, Kazis LE, Ryan CM. Arch. Phys. Med. Rehabil. 2017; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Massachusetts General Hospital, Shriners Hospitals for Children®-Boston, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. Electronic address: cryan@mgh.harvard.edu.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.apmr.2017.10.007

PMID

29097179

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To examine differences in long-term social reintegration outcomes for burn survivors with and without peer support attendence.

DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SETTING: Community-dwelling burn survivors. PARTICIPANTS: Burn survivors (N = 601) aged ≥18 years with injuries to ≥5% total body surface area or burns to critical areas (hands, feet, face, or genitals). INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The LIBRE Profile was used to examine the following previously validated six scale scores of social participation: Family & Friends, Social Interactions, Social Activities, Work & Employment, Romantic Relationships, and Sexual Relationships.

RESULTS: Burn support group attendance was reported by 330 (55%) of 596 respondents who responded to this item. Attendees had larger burn size (43.4 ± 23.6 vs. 36.8 ± 23.4% total body surface area burned (TBSA), p<0.01) and were more likely to be >10 years from injury (50% vs 42.5%, p<0.01). Survivors who attended at least one support group scored significantly higher on three of the scales: Social Interactions (p=.01), Social Activities (p=.04) and Work and Employment (p=.05). In adjusted analyses, peer support attendance was associated with increased scores on the Social Interactions scale, increasing scores by 17% of a standard deviation (95% CI, 1-33%, p =.04).

CONCLUSIONS: Burn survivors who reported peer support attendance had better social interaction scores than those who did not. This is the first reported association between peer support group attendance and improvements in community reintegration in burn survivors. This cross-sectional study prompts further exploration into the potential benefits of peer support groups on burn recovery with future intervention studies.

Copyright © 2017 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Language: en

Keywords

Burns; Community integration; Social support