Marriage challenges in single women with burn scars: A qualitative study.

Abstract

Burn scars are often considered a significant concern of patients. This study was performed with the aim of explaining the experiences of single women with burn scars regarding marriage. The present study was a content analysis. Convenience sampling was used to recruit seven single women with burn scars and four mothers of them. Overall, 11 face-to-face, semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted. All interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was performed inductively. In this study, eleven individual in-depth interviews were conducted. The experiences of the participants were presented in three themes: "drowning in absolute despair," "the unclear prospect of cohabitation," and "searching for a way to save the life." The findings of this study provided information that may be used as guidance for health managers to manage female burn victims properly. Research using other methods and designs is recommended to enhance the body of knowledge on the body image of burn victims.