Self-Inflicted Burns: A Comparative Study in a Spanish Sample.

Area of Science:

• Burn research
• Psychiatry
• Public health

Background:

• The first Spanish study on self-inflicted burns (SIB) in 1994 described a prototypical patient: adult male, unmarried, with a psychiatric background.
• SIB represented 1.98% of Burns Unit admissions between 1983-1991, a lower rate than other European studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To update the patient profile for self-inflicted burns (SIB) in Spain.
• To compare current SIB patient characteristics with those from a previous study conducted in 1983-1991.

Main Methods:

• A comparative analysis of clinical and socio-demographic data from two patient cohorts.
• Study I included 67 patients admitted between 1983-1991, while Study II included 36 patients admitted between 2010-2015.

Main Results:

• SIB admissions decreased to 1.45% in Study II (2010-2015) from 1.98% in Study I (1983-1991).
• Significant differences were observed in patient age, psychiatric history, previous self-harm attempts, burn etiology, incident location, and triggers.
• Statistical analysis revealed significant variations in these characteristics between the two study periods.

Conclusions:

• The profile of patients with self-inflicted burns (SIB) has evolved over two decades.
• Changes in SIB characteristics, including etiology and triggers, may reflect societal shifts.
• Understanding these evolving factors is essential for designing effective SIB prevention strategies.