Psychosocial Impact of Electrical Burn in Children: A Follow-Up Study Conducted at a Tertiary Care Hospital

Abstract

IntroductionElectrical burn injuries are very common in the pediatric population and are usually accidental and sometimes occupational. The objective of our study was to evaluate the epidemiology of electrical burn injuries and prospectively evaluate the long-term psychosocial impact of electrical burn injuries in children. Materials and methodsA qualitative interview study was conducted prospectively among sixty patients presented to Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Demographic details, mode of presentation, detail of injury, total body surface area, initial condition, and surgical interventions were noted during their stay at the hospital. Their physical and psychological outcomes were evaluated by administering the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and Body Dysmorphic Disorder Questionnaire (BDDQ) via telephonic interviews after six weeks of discharge from the hospital. The study was conducted over a span of 1 year from January 2021 to January 2022. ResultsThere were 60 patients who presented to the department of pediatric surgery during the span of the study. The mean age was 9.9 years ± 3.133 years (SD) and 80% of the patients were above 8 years of age with a male-to-female percentage of 86.67% to 13.33%, respectively. Forty-two (70%) patients incurred highvoltage electrical burns while 18 (30%) suffered low-voltage electrical burns. Mortality was 13.33% (n=8). Out of 52 patients who survived, 35 (67.30%) were labeled as having Body Dysmorphic Disorder upon administration of BDDQ through a six-week follow-up. The majority of the patients had abnormal or borderline results in different scales of SDQ. ConclusionThe long-term psychological stress and the varied spectrum of psychiatric disorders in electrical burn patients are profound. The prevention of burn injuries can be effectively achieved by educating parents about safety measures and improving health infrastructure. Implementation of a dedicated national program for psychological support of burn patients should be made accessible to all patients.

Oxidative stress mediates hippocampal neuronal apoptosis through ROS/JNK/P53 pathway in rats with PTSD triggered by high-voltage electrical burn

“…Researches have suggested the link between oxidative stress and high-voltage electric burn injury in patients or animal models [15,16,17,18]. Severe life stress events, such as HVEB, could stimulate the increase of sympathetic nerve-adrenergic medulla responsiveness, leading to the dysfunction of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis) of the nervous system and contribute to the pathogenesis of PTSD [19,20,21]. The main reason for oxidative stress triggered by high-voltage electric burns is that the electrothermal effects can directly cause the cell damage of multiple organs.…”