No abstract

In The Gift, Mauss argues that people in many cultures have engaged in what appears to be a voluntary giving of gifts, but which in fact carries obligations at each point in the exchange-in the giving of, receiving of, and response to each gift. Moreover, these exchanges of gifts are an integral part of both building connections between individuals and groups and maintaining social hierarchies. Using the Mauss view of gifts as a framework for examining the social practice of sharing dreams, this article demonstrates the obligations present in the giving of, receiving of, and responding to dreams. It then identifies the implications of this understanding of dreams as gifts, for clients offering their dreams in psychotherapeutic settings.

Introduction Burn survivors can experience challenges in social functioning (e.g., bullying, stigmatization) and self-concept (e.g., body image concerns). Use of coping strategies is associated with engagement in social supports and positive self-concept in pediatric oncology and physical injury populations; however, their relation has not been examined in pediatric burn survivors. This study aims to explore coping as it relates to social functioning and self-concept in these youth. Methods Fifty-one pediatric burn survivors aged 7–17 years (M=12.53; SD=2.68), and their primary caregiver participated. Youth and caregivers completed questionnaires, including the Child Coping Strategies Checklist (CCSC; youth report); the Burn Injury Social Questionnaire (BISQ; parent & youth report; higher scores = more social problems); and the Piers-Harris Children’s Self-Concept Scale-2 (PH-2; youth report). Associations between the BISQ, coping strategies (Active, Avoidance, Distraction, Support), self-concept, yearly family income, and burn injury characteristics (e.g., total body surface area; TBSA, participant grafting) were examined via bivariate correlations. Hierarchical linear regression was used to examine whether coping strategies (with significant bivariate correlations) predicted BISQ and PH-2 scores above and beyond burn injury and demographic variables. Three hierarchical regression models were run, one each for parent- and youth-report BISQ and youth-report PH-2 scores. Results Our sample is predominantly male (62.7%) and Caucasian (82.4%) with average TBSA of 8.74% (SD=11.02). Parent- and youth-reports on the BISQ were positively correlated with TBSA (r=.61 and .37, respectively) and negatively correlated with family income (r=-.37 and -.36, respectively). Parents of youth who had a skin graft reported higher BISQ scores (rho=.34). Distraction coping was significantly associated with youth-reported BISQ scores (r=-.31); no coping strategies were correlated with parent-report BISQ scores. In regression models, TBSA significantly predicted of parent-report BISQ (B=.27, p< .001). Higher family income (B=-.40, p=.04) and greater distraction coping (B=-3.41, p=.004) significantly predicted better youth-report BISQ scores. Greater active coping significantly predicted better self-concept (B=6.21, p=.01). Conclusions Results suggest that use of positive coping strategies relates to better youth-reported social functioning and youth-reported self-concept after burn injury in addition to injury characteristics and socioeconomic variables.