# Latent profiles of digital health literacy and perceived stigma in burn patients: a cross-sectional study

## TL;DR

This study explores how digital health literacy and perceived stigma vary among burn patients, identifying two distinct groups and highlighting factors like social support and appearance anxiety that influence these profiles.

## Contribution

The study introduces a novel application of latent profile analysis to identify distinct subgroups of burn patients based on digital health literacy and perceived stigma.

## Key findings

- Digital health literacy was negatively correlated with perceived stigma among burn patients.
- Two distinct profiles were identified: low digital health literacy-high perceived stigma and high digital health literacy-low perceived stigma.
- Social support was a protective factor, while appearance anxiety and lower education were risk factors for the low digital health literacy-high perceived stigma profile.

## Abstract

Prior research has consistently demonstrated that higher levels of digital health literacy contribute positively to improved mental health outcomes and overall quality of life among patients. Nevertheless, the interplay between digital health literacy and the experience of perceived stigma—particularly among burn patients—remains underexplored, and the potential heterogeneity within this relationship has not been adequately addressed.

This cross-sectional study, conducted from June to July 2025, recruited 534 burn patients (mean age 31.05 ± 9.52 years; 61.0% male) from three tertiary hospitals in Sichuan Province, China. Participants completed validated scales assessing digital health literacy, social support, appearance anxiety, perceived stigma, and demographics. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlations, latent profile analysis (LPA) with fit indices, univariate analyses (chi-square tests and t-tests), and multinomial logistic regression. Significance was set at p < 0.05.

Digital health literacy was negatively correlated with perceived stigma (r = −0.386, p < 0.01). LPA identified two profiles: “low digital health literacy-high perceived stigma” (40.2% of sample) and “high digital health literacy-low perceived stigma” (59.8% of sample). Univariate analyses revealed significant differences between profiles in education (χ2 = 35.795, p < 0.001), social support (t = 18.848, p < 0.001), and appearance anxiety (t = 6.222, p < 0.001). Multinomial logistic regression, with high digital health literacy-low perceived stigma as reference, showed social support as a protective factor (OR = 0.125, p < 0.001), appearance anxiety as a risk factor (OR = 1.284, p = 0.037), and junior high/high school education as a risk (OR = 0.149, p = 0.008).

This study confirms heterogeneity in digital health literacy and perceived stigma among burn patients, with social support and appearance anxiety as key influencers. Findings support targeted interventions to enhance digital health literacy and reduce perceived stigma, advancing precision psychological care for burn survivors.