Journal of Community Medicine & Health Education
Open Access

Abstract

Camp Sababa operates in Israel through the Burn Advocate Network of New Jersey, to help children with burn injury cope with trauma consequences. The study assessed how camp affected quality of life for adolescents with burn injury. Ten adolescents from diverse cultural backgrounds attended Camp "Sababa" in 2017. All subjects and parents signed an informed consent form, responded to a demographics questionnaire, and participated in in-depth interviews and focus groups. Findings were analyzed relative to the chronological sequence of rehabilitation: (1) coping with emotional and physical scars, (2) formulating coping strategies, (3) belonging to a group, and (4) implications of camp experience.Social participation engendered a feeling of safety and trust, enabling adolescents to share their burn experience, and thus cope better with the physical and emotional challenges of their injuries. Participation in activities strengthened their sense of ability and social bonding, with a return to typical adolescent behavior at camp and ultimately in the community. The positive results suggest that burn camps should be part of the rehabilitation process of adolescents with burn injury, with emphasis on challenging, age-appropriate activities, and peer group participation.

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