Sexual Function, Body Image, and Quality of Life After Genital Burns: A Burn Model System Database Study

Area of Science:

• Burn research
• Psychosocial health
• Patient-reported outcomes

Background:

• Burn injuries significantly affect quality of life, yet genital burn impacts are understudied.
• Genital burns may uniquely influence body image, sensation, and self-perception.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the long-term effects of genital burns on body image, sexual satisfaction, and health-related quality of life.
• To compare recovery trajectories between patients with and without genital burns.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of a multicenter longitudinal patient-reported outcome database (2016-2024).
• Inclusion of adult patients (≥18 years) with and without genital burns.
• Linear mixed-effect models analyzed Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS-29) and Burn Specific Health Scale (BSHS) outcomes at 6, 12, and 24 months, adjusting for covariates.

Main Results:

• No baseline differences in PROMIS-29 or BSHS scores between groups.
• Genital burn patients showed significantly different recovery trajectories for depression, sleep disturbance, and body image.
• At 24 months, genital burn survivors had higher depression scores (+1.22) and poorer body image, with less sleep improvement compared to controls.

Conclusions:

• Genital burns significantly alter recovery pathways, particularly affecting depression, sleep quality, and body image.
• While sexual satisfaction and physical function were not significantly different, psychosocial impacts warrant specific attention.
• Longitudinal data reveal persistent challenges in psychosocial well-being for genital burn survivors.