A Single-Armed Pilot Study to Evaluate a Psychosocial Intervention for Young People Who Have Experienced a Burn...

Children with serious burns often suffer psychosocial consequences. This study evaluated the pilot of a 6-session psychoeducational intervention newly designed to support the wellbeing of children who experienced burns. Each 1-h session was delivered online to individuals at times deemed convenient to participants, by trained facilitators (mental health researchers and other allied health professionals). The pilot was single-arm, with psychosocial screening administered at baseline, immediately postintervention, and at 6- and 12-month follow-ups. Eligible participants were 6-17 years, 6-week to 2-year postburn, the burn must be nonintentional, without cognitive disability or existing mental health concerns in themselves or their parents. Interviews postintervention explored acceptability. Overall, 27 young people were recruited; 12 started and completed the intervention, but 8 young people were lost to follow-up by the end of the follow-up period. Results from the problem and syndrome subscales of the Youth Self-Report (YSR) and the Child Behavior Checklist showed that group medians did not significantly change over the postintervention follow-up period. The individual-based characteristics showed that some young people improved on 1-3 YSR subscales (n = 3), stagnated (n = 3), and 2 young people started within clinical ranges while showing deterioration throughout the follow-up period. The results indicate some benefit to the young people but further investigation is required to ascertain the Wellbeing Program's effectiveness in improving the psychosocial outcomes of young people who have sustained a burn injury.