Impact of disfiguring burn scars on adolescent sexual development

It is popularly believed that disfiguring scars compromise the burned adolescent's ability to establish satisfactory dating relationships and to develop positive identities as sexually attractive people. The purpose of this study was to test that belief by obtaining information about the sexual behaviors and beliefs of adolescents who have disfiguring scars. Nineteen adolescents, ages 13 to 20 and at least 1 year postburn, completed a sexuality survey entitled What Young People Believe and Do--Revised. When compared with the available information, adolescents with disfiguring burn scars appear to have thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that are similar to those of nonburned adolescents. The severity of disfigurement as measured by numbers of affected body areas does not seem to be related to the sexual behaviors of the teenagers in this sample.