Effectiveness of life skills training on social adjustment and confidence in burn patients

Background: Burns are one of the costliest injuries that affect the quality of life of patients worldwide, especially in developing countries. Physical, psychological and social problems of burn victims and its associated costs have made Iran one of the major challenges in the health system. Since burns in our country are increasing and due to the psychological needs of burn patients as a vulnerable part of society and also because women are more sensitive and more vulnerable to body image and self-acceptance in the event of injury. Visual anxieties such as anxiety and depression are more prevalent, and the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of life skills training on self-esteem and social adjustment of burned women. Material and Method: This quasi-experimental study was performed at Shahid Motahari Burn Hospital in Tehran in 2013. Of all burned female patients with visible scars and deformities, 16 cases with a minimum level of education in reading and writing were randomly selected into two control and experimental groups. The experimental group underwent 12 2-hour sessions of life skills training. Research tools included Bell social adjustment questionnaire and SERS self-esteem questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 22 and multivariate analysis of covariance. Results: Self-esteem of burn patients in experimental group after life skills training was significantly higher than burn patients in control group (F= 14.331, p <0.05, n2=0.642). Also, home adjustment was significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group (F= 16.002, p <0.05, n2=0.667). Conclusion: The results of this study showed that life skills training in women with burns can lead to increased self-esteem and adjustment at home, but further studies should be undertaken to include both sexes.