• Jennifer Heath, Heidi Williamson, Lisa Williams, and Diana Harcourt.
• Centre for Appearance Research, Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK.
• Scars Burn Heal. 2018 Jan 1; 4: 2059513118763801.

IntroductionBurn injuries can be traumatic and distressing for the affected child and family, with a prolonged period of recovery. This research explores parents' experiences of support following their child's injury and their thoughts on peer support specifically.MethodsThirteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents/caregivers, a mean of three years after their child's injury, either face-to-face or remotely. Responses were analysed using thematic analysis.ResultsAnalysis produced four themes and 11 sub-themes. These described parents' experiences of loss, change, isolation and access to psychosocial support. This paper focuses on themes of isolation and parents' access to psychosocial support.DiscussionFindings indicate that parents access psychosocial support following their child's injury and often find it helpful; however, there is a prevailing sense of isolation. Parents often seek information online and find that this is lacking. Many parents reported that peer support would be valuable to them, particularly the sharing of experiential knowledge.ConclusionAn online resource may be beneficial for parents, but further research is needed to confirm the exploratory data gained to date, ensuring that any resource developed would meet the identified needs of parents.

6 keywords...

hide…