The 2003 clinical research award: Visible vs hidden scars and their relation to body esteem

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Survivors of burn injury were surveyed to determine the relationship among burn characteristics (scarring, severity, and visibility), social stigmatization, social support, depression, and body esteem. Participants were also asked to rate the presence or absence of scars on 15 body parts, total body surface area burned, and number of surgeries. The correlation between visible scarring and different aspects of body esteem and perception of other reactions to appearance was statistically significant but low. Visible scarring had a low but significant correlation with perceived stigmatization, was unrelated to self-satisfaction with weight, and was not correlated with depression. Results suggest that burn characteristics are less important than social and emotional variables in determining the body esteem among burn survivors.

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