Behavioural problems and quality of life in children with burns

Half of the hospital admissions in burn centres consist of children. Research
that focuses on their psychological health and quality of life, however, is
scarce. Besides, many studies are hampered by small sample sizes (<100) and
retrospective designs. In addition, the few reports available often report
conflicting results. Prospective studies in European populations are not
available. In conclusion, there is a need for empirical evidence on
psychosocial functioning of children with burns and related risk factors of
maladjustment.

The main objectives of this study are to describe behavioural problems in
children aged 0 to 4 years and posttraumatic stress symptoms in children aged 8
to 17 years and to study the course and determinants of these problems.
Further, this study focusses on generic and specific quality of life in
children with burns.

The current study is a prospective longitudinal cohort study with a follow-up
of 18 months in children with burns. It is an international multi-centre study,
comprising six burn centres in the Netherlands and Belgium. The total duration
of the study is four years.

Parents of children with burns and children older than 8 years are asked to
complete self-report questionnaires during a period of 18 months following the
burn injury. The estimated time required to fill in the questionnaires varies
between 15 minutes and 60 minutes depending on the measurement. To the best of
our knowledge, there are no reports available that document risks associated
with participation in this type of research. The reason why also children are
asked to complete questionnaires is related to the often documented deviating
views of children and their parents on how children function. We believe it has
a surplus value to include the children*s self-reports.