805 Peer Support and Long-Term Community Integration: Enhancing Recovery for Burn Survivors

TL;DR

Peer support improves psychosocial outcomes for burn survivors, suggesting it should be part of standard care.

Contribution

This study provides evidence that peer support is linked to better recovery outcomes in burn survivors.

Findings

Peer support was associated with lower anxiety, depression, and better life satisfaction at 12 months.

Adjusting for injury severity showed no significant differences in outcomes between groups.

Peer support programs should be integrated into standard care for burn survivors.

Abstract

Peer support fosters community and encouragement among burn survivors through shared experiences. Despite its growing recognition, the impact on patient-reported outcomes is rarely studied. This study explores the effects of peer support on psychosocial and functional outcomes.

This retrospective cross-sectional study analyzed data from participants over the age of 18 from 2014-2024 in a multicenter longitudinal patient-reported outcome database. Participant demographics, PROMIS domains (ability to participate in social roles, anxiety, depression, sexual satisfaction), community integration – social integration (CIQ), and satisfaction with life (SWL) were collected at 12 months post-injury. Peer support was assessed at 12 months by asking participants if they had spoken with other burn survivors for support regarding their burn injuries since the last questionnaire. Univariate analyses compared outcomes based on peer support. Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney tests were used due to non-parametric nature of the data. Six linear regression models evaluated the impact of peer support (independent variable) on 12-month outcomes (depression, anxiety, sexual satisfaction, CIQ, SWL, and social role participation), adjusting for age, sex, TBSA, burn center site, and education level. Each model included the outcome measure not being assessed to control for the impact of those domains on the dependent variable.

Data from 700 participants met inclusion criteria with 106 receiving peer support and 594 not. At 12 months, peer support was associated with significantly lower scores for PROMIS ability to participate in social roles (50.4+/- 10.9 vs. 54.0+/- 10.5, p=0.0007), anxiety (52.4 +/- 9.8 vs. 49.4 +/- 10.2, p=0.0018), depression (52.2 +/- 11.3 vs. 48.6 +/- 9.8, 0.0014), and satisfaction with life (16.7 +/- 7.1 vs. 19.2 +/- 7.0, p=0.0009) compared to those not receiving peer support. Linear regression results showed that, when adjusted for age, sex, TBSA, burn center site, and more than a high school education, peer support was not significantly associated with ability to participate in social roles, anxiety, depression, sexual satisfaction, satisfaction with life, or community integration.

Individuals seeking peer support had worse patient-reported outcomes, likely due to more severe injuries as outcomes were not different between the two groups when adjusted for burn size. The above data helps justify the need for peer support programs as routine care for burn survivors to help in proper recovery.

This study highlights the need to integrate peer support programs into standard practice for burn survivors, emphasizing training for volunteers to discuss these concerns.

The contents of this abstract were developed under a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant number 90DPBU0007). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of health and Human Services (HHS). The contents of this abstract do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL, or HHS, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.