Psychological Evaluation of a Residential Children’s Burns Camp Programme: A Ten-Year Evaluation

Abstract

Residential burns camp programmes provide help and support to children with burn injuries by providing activities designed to build their confidence and self-esteem. Our regional burns service has been running camps for over 20 years and evaluation is an important part of assessing their effectiveness. In this study, we report both qualitative and quantitative data from 10 consecutive years of burns camps. Qualitative feedback was gathered using Likert scales and free-response questionnaires at the end of camp and six weeks post-camp. Three quantitative outcome measures, the Paediatric Quality of Life Inventory v4, the Children’s Revised Impact of Event Scale (CRIES8) and the Satisfaction with Appearance scale (SWAP), were completed before and six weeks after camp. Both children and their parents/carers reported that attending the burns camp was helpful for them/their child; meeting other children with burn injuries and developing confidence and self-esteem were cited as reasons. Parents/carers also reported improvements in their child’s physical and psychological functioning post-camp in some years, although these results were not as clear as the qualitative findings. These findings confirm the importance of providing burns camp programmes for children with burn injuries as part of their post-burn rehabilitation.