Body image in paediatric burns: a review

Abstract

Burn injuries in children can result in life-long disfigurement. As medical and surgical techniques of burn management improve survival prospects more than ever before, body image adjustment is increasingly a central consideration in the care of burn-injured individuals. An appreciation that both physiological and psychosocial processes underpin such injuries is key to understanding wound healing. Perceptions of idealized body images in Western society challenge children and their families as they grow up with and adapt to disfigurement from burns. Whilst many studies have examined the psychosocial recovery of adults with burn injuries, few have considered the impact on burn-injured children. This paper explores the models of body image and discusses the relevance of these to research and practice in understanding how to manage burns in children.

Perceptions of the Body and Body Dissatisfaction in Primary Education Children According to Gender and Age. A Cross-Sectional Study

“…When children grow and interact with others, they begin to compare themselves, especially in appearance (for example, little children desire to be bigger). Due to this, from the age of 6, the shape of the body becomes more important, since 40%–50% of children from 6 to 12 years old admit dissatisfaction with the size or shape of some part of their body [ 30 , 31 ]. Before puberty, there are extremely important body, brain, sexual, emotional, and social changes [ 6 ], and consequently, this is when more dissatisfaction with one’s own body can occur [ 32 , 33 ].…”

PSICOPATOLOGIA DE LA IMAGEN CORPORAL. Definiciones, alteraciones, teorías y evaluación.

“…1.3. La imagen corporal según la condición física o socio-cultural de ser hombre o mujer este físico es visto por la sociedad y la cultura occidental como un símbolo de estatus, de masculinidad, de éxito y de poder (Betz et al, 2019;King, 2018;Shoraka et al, 2019). Este físico ideal, delgado y tonificado del varón parece que ha sido instaurado por los medios de comunicación que siempre muestran cuerpos fitness (con bajos niveles de grasa corporal) que visibilizan los músculos (Cafri y Thompson, 2004).…”

The development and validation of the CARe Burn Scale: Child Form: a parent-proxy-reported outcome measure assessing quality of life for children aged 8 years and under living with a burn injury

“…Many undergo numerous surgical and rehabilitation interventions to improve wound healing and scarring, which can be physically and emotionally challenging [6]. Children can struggle with coming to terms with the traumatic event, while changes in physical appearance, pain, restricted physical abilities and adherence to treatments such as dressing changes can be hard to cope with [7][8][9]. Collecting and effectively using health-related patient-reported outcome data (PROM) are vital during surgical and rehabilitation decision-making in burn care since it pin-points how burn scars impact health and, consequently, how intervention may improve these outcomes.…”