• Ahmed Waqas, Marvee Turk, Sadiq Naveed, Atif Amin, Harriet Kiwanuka, Neha Shafique, and Muhammad Ashraf Chaudhry.
• CMH Lahore Medical College and Institute of Dentistry, Abdur Rehman Rd., Lahore, Pakistan.
• Burns. 2018 Feb 1; 44 (1): 168-174.

BackgroundSocial support is among the most well-established predictors of post-burn psychopathology after burn. Despite a disproportionately large burden of burns in the developing world, the nature of social support among burn patients in this context remains elusive. We, therefore, seek to investigate social support and its biopsychosocial determinants among patients with burn injuries in Pakistan.MethodsA cross-sectional study of 343 patients presenting with burn injuries at four teaching hospitals in the Punjab province of Pakistan was conducted. Patient evaluation consisted of a multi-part survey of demographic status, clinical features, and social support as measured by the validated Urdu translation of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Multiple regression analysis was performed to evaluate associations between patient characteristics and MSPSS score.ResultsMean overall MSPSS score was 57.64 (std dev 13.57). Notable positive predictors of social support include male gender, Punjabi ethnicity, burn surface area, and ego resiliency.ConclusionOur study reveals a troubling pattern of inadequate social support among certain subgroups of Pakistani burn patients. Addressing these inequities in the provision of social support must be prioritized as part of the global burn care agenda.Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

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