Examining the association between social appearance anxiety and perceived social support in adolescents with butane explosion-induced burns.

BACKGROUND

Butane misuse in adolescents causes severe burns with long-term effects, but psychosocial impacts like social appearance anxiety (SAA) and its link to perceived social support are poorly understood, and relapse/craving predictors are unknown. This study aimed to assess SAA, identify factors, examine SAA-support association, and determine relapse predictors at 4 weeks post-injury.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted on 48 adolescents in Northeast China who suffered from severe butane-related burns. At the 4-week mark, the participants were classified into the Non-relapse Group (n = 18) and the Relapse/Craving Group (n = 30). Baseline data were collected through medical records, interviews, and scales, including the Social Appearance Anxiety Scale (SAAS), the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Anxiety subscale (HADS-A). SPSS 25.0 was employed for data analyses, including descriptive statistics, t tests, chi-square tests, correlation analyses, and regression analyses.

RESULTS

Relapse/Craving Group had longer prior abuse (10.37 ± 6.71 vs. 3.06 ± 2.39 months, p < 0.001), higher SAA (58.23 ± 5.66 vs. 48.28 ± 6.93, p < 0.001), lower social support (44.03 ± 3.31 vs. 52.78 ± 3.26, p < 0.001), and higher anxiety (admission:10.87 ± 2.47 vs.8.28 ± 1.02; 4 weeks:12.37 ± 2.44 vs.10.33 ± 0.69, p < 0.001). There was a negative correlation between MSPSS and SAAS (r = -0.665, p < 0.001), driven by family (r = -0.783) and friends (r = -0.665). Prior abuse predicted relapse (OR=4.17, p = 0.01). Higher social support predicted lower SAA (β=-1.11, p < 0.001), explaining 49.5% variance.

CONCLUSIONS

Relapse/craving survivors report higher SAA and lower social support. Butane abuse history predicts relapse, while strong social support from family and friends mitigates SAA. Findings highlight need for psychosocial assessments and support in rehabilitation programs.