The impacts of the visible differences in appearance caused by burn injuries, and medical tattooing as an appearance-based intervention

Abstract

Portfolio Abstract Burns injuries can affect both adults and children. They can cause severe and enduring physical and psychological consequences, for both the individual and their family. Changes to appearance are a fundamental part of a burn injury. Medical tattooing (MT) is an intervention designed to address appearance/body dissatisfaction. Systematic Review: a systematic search was completed of five electronic databases (CINAHL, Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBOSE and PsycINFO), reference lists and ‘cited by’ referencing sources to identify and evaluate all published qualitative research literature on the psychological experiences of parents of children who have experienced burn injuries. Seven studies met the selection criteria and four themes were identified: ‘the trauma of witnessing a family member’s burn injury’, ‘the ‘mixed blessing’ of hospitalisation’, ‘attempting to return to ‘normal’ life -adapting to new roles’, and ‘guilt and blame: core issues’. The results suggest parents experience three phases of recovery following a child’s burn, all impacted on by feelings of guilt and blame. Journal Article: Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was applied to eight in-depth interviews with burn survivors with medical tattoos. Three themes were extracted: Management of Hope, The Process and Impacts of MT: ‘Normal-ish is Fantastic’ which were set within a context of ‘Conflict about Legitimacy’. The findings suggest MT may facilitate a regained sense of normality and an improved sense of being acceptable in society. However, a potential paradox was identified between a pressure to conform to certain expectations of appearance and a sense that a desire to meet these expectations is also not viewed as important or acceptable. By understanding these experiences, healthcare professionals can increase awareness of the lived experienced of individuals with burn injuries and of those around them. It also demonstrates that MT is a potentially valuable intervention. Further research needs are highlighted