Project Type
independent
Project Start Date
12/30/2009
Project End Date
09/30/2012
Target Population(s)
The target population are adults who have sustained a major burn injury as defined by American Burn Association and were admitted to the Parkland Regional Burn Center for treatment.

The goal of the Social Interaction Skills Training study is to not only assess the magnitude of social anxiety and social phobia as a result of disfigurement following burn injury, but also to provide and document the efficacy of a social skills training program developed to overcome feelings of isolation, interaction anxiety and avoidance. It is believed that such a program would increase self-efficacy and confidence and facilitate successful social re-integration. The Social Interaction Skills Training (SIST) study is designed as a two-part study. The aim of Part-1 of the study is to assess (a) the prevalence of social interaction anxiety, social phobia and body image dissatisfaction; and (b) relationship between social interaction anxiety, social phobia and body image dissatisfaction. The aim of Part-2 of the study is to provide a brief social interaction skills training program as a treatment intervention to reduce the level of social anxiety, phobia and body image dissatisfaction. Part-2 of the study is a prospective randomized experiment with an intervention group that will receive social skills training and a non-intervention group that will receive our current standard treatment which does not include social interaction skills training.