Date of Graduation
2004
Document Type
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
School reentry programs are used commonly as a means of optimizing children's psychosocial adjustment when they return to school after a burn injury. Typically, school reentry programs include a school visit and the use of various tools (e.g., videos, presentations, and written materials) designed to educate peers/teachers about burns and burn care. Despite widespread use by many burn units, there has been little research adequately evaluating the outcomes of these programs. This study reviewed the literature pertaining to school reentry programs (e.g., description and purpose) and evaluated the effect of a school reentry program on the psychosocial adjustment (e.g., social skills, self-esteem) of children with burn injuries. The design of the study attempted to address the weaknesses in previously cited studies and add to current research by: (a) having a comparison group (waitlist control) in addition to an experimental group (school reentry program), (b) using multiple standardized measures across informants and time, and (c) examining the effect of a school reentry program on several social constructs. Although there were no statistically significant group effects indicating that the school reentry program was effective across the measures used in this study, several interesting findings were obtained (e.g., children reported better adjustment at the 3-month follow-up than the 1 month follow-up on several measures and a group by time interaction on one of the self-perception measures). Based on the results of this study, it seems warranted that this area of research continues to be investigated.
Recommended Citation
Girolami, Peter, "The impact of a school reentry program on the psychosocial adjustment of children with burn injuries." (2004). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 8914.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/8914