Quality of life of young adults who survived pediatric burns

Ninety-five young adult pediatric burn survivors, ages 18 to 28, who were an average of 14 years after massive burn, were questioned about their quality of life. The Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ) by Evans and Cope was used to assess their long-term adjustment in diverse environmental settings. Results revealed burn survivors as a group rated their overall quality of life lower than the normal population. They also had differences from the normal population in some subdomains of the QLQ. When analyzed by sex, only one difference was seen with females rating their involvement in sports activities lower than males. Analysis of the effect of age showed that male burn survivors had improvements with their quality of life with age and the further they were after burn. In conclusion, the ability to detect distress among burn survivors will provide targets for related treatment and subsequent assessment of efficacy of intervention.