432 Feasibility and Implementation of the YP Face IT Online Program for Youth Recovering from Burn Injuries

Abstract

Recent research has shown that many children and adolescents recovering from burn injuries experience anxiety over their scars and/or other appearance-related differences. The current study assessed the feasibility of recruiting participants for a clinical trial of an online program called YP Face IT (YPF) that was designed to help young people with visible differences such as burn scars to cope with social and psychological stresses. The study’s first phase assessed the feasibility of having subjects complete the baseline measures of appearance concern and anxiety. The second, ongoing, clinical intervention phase added an assessment of patients’ willingness to participate in the YPF trial. 12-17-year-old English-speaking patients and their parents were recruited in the outpatient clinic of a pediatric burn hospital. Recruitment included pre-screening scheduled patients through the hospital’s electronic medical record and then obtaining clinician approval to approach eligible patients. In both phases of the study, participants completed a 90-question (~20 minute) battery made up of 5 brief anxiety measures and a 3-question debriefing questionnaire (DBQ). The DBQs asked participants if they had appearance concerns (AC) and if they would be interested in learning about/participating in YPF and/or other supportive resources. All participants were invited to use YPF, even if they did not endorse AC. During the first phase of the study, 174 outpatients met study criteria and 39 (22.4%) of them agreed to participate in the study. Thirteen (33%) patients and/or their parents indicated on the DBQ that the child had AC and 16 (41%) were interested in participating in YPF or other appearance-related resources. During the initial two months of the second phase of the study, 62 patients were eligible, 17 (27.4%) agreed to participate in the study, 6 (35.3%) endorsed AC, and 7 patients (41.1%) elected to participate in the YPF clinical trial. Interested patients had a full range of burn scarring (TBSA range 1-87% in both phases). The current study confirmed previous reports of the existence of appearance concerns in a substantial proportion of young people being seen in an outpatient burn clinic. New findings suggested the feasibility of offering the YP Face IT program in this setting, with more than one third of study participants expressing interest in participating in a clinical trial of this program. The current study provides evidence of appearance related anxiety within populations of adolescents recovering from burn injuries. Many of these adolescents are interested in clinical resources that could help. Clinicians who treat adolescents with burn injuries could bring existing resources to their attention.