We want to express our gratitude to the individuals who donated to our fundraising campaign seeking support for our research study investigating the impacts of chronic stress on paediatric burn patients and their parents. Your donation, together with others, has allowed us to analyse and measure stress cortisol in 700 hair samples of children and their parents! This would not have been possible without the help of our valued supporters, and we want to send our heartfelt thanks to everyone who helped us reach this milestone in our study.
Impacts of chronic stress on paediatric burn patients and their parent's study update:
Our research team are trying to understand the lifetime impacts of burn injuries on young children. We know that children who have suffered a burn injury have increased admission rates to hospitals for mental health conditions later in life. One possible reason for this might be due to the stress level that occurs from their experience or the impact on the family's stress levels due to the burn itself. To measure chronic stress, we have taken hair samples of 700 patients and their parents at the time of burn injury and during their recovery to analyse their cortisol levels. Cortisol is known as the 'stress hormone', and higher levels of this hormone can affect physical and mental health.
The first phase of the study investigating cortisol levels has already shown that the levels are closely linked to how quickly the children leave the hospital for their burn treatment, suggesting that they recover more quickly with lower cortisol levels. The next phase of the study will focus on how these levels are linked to mental health, which we plan to measure in the burns clinic through questionnaires. By better understanding the link between stress and long-term health, we can assess what interventions we can include in rehabilitation to support paediatric burn patients and their family's mental health and well-being at the time of injury and later in life.
Our vision at the Foundation is to deliver scarless healing in mind and body. Only through research projects such as this can we continue to provide therapeutic and innovative treatments for our patients, giving them the best possible outcome. We know that our efforts are only possible because of the contributions we receive from our valued donors. Thank you to everyone who continues to believe in what we do and make a collective difference to our patients and their families.
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