Caregiver perceptions of a psychosocially orientated resilience-themed multimedia burn intervention

Abstract

Pediatric burn injuries are a global health concern that significantly impacts children’s well-being. Few cost-effective psychosocial interventions currently exist that focus on bolstering resilience in pediatric burn survivors and their surrounding support systems, specifically in resource-constrained contexts. Therefore, this study sought to explore caregivers’ perceptions of an existing resilience-themed multimedia psychosocial intervention aimed at child burn survivors. This qualitative study’s design was exploratory and utilized face-to-face, semistructured interviews. The caregivers of 13 child burn survivors were recruited from the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, South Africa. Thematic analysis yielded four themes revealing some key caregiver perceptions of the burn recovery video: (1) acceptance of burn injury promotes psychological recovery; (2) hope matters; (3) emotional support matters in all contexts; and (4) resilience matters, but… The themes echoed the resilience literature and emphasized the importance of support from all systems, including professional, and peer and familial groups, in postburn recovery. They also identified areas not usually foregrounded, such as the social contexts which may mitigate against resilience. Caregivers distilled some key aspects of resilience from the multimedia intervention and through this felt encouraged about the recovery process. The findings highlight the importance and utility of resilience-orientated multimedia and complementary interventions in pediatric postburn care.