{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,11]],"date-time":"2026-06-11T13:04:37Z","timestamp":1781183077918,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":45,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,11]],"date-time":"2026-06-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1781136000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"University of Medicine and Pharmacy Carol Davila"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Diseases"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Burn injuries are increasingly being recognized as chronic conditions with long-term physical, emotional, and social consequences. As survival after acute burn trauma improves, greater attention has shifted toward health-related quality of life (QoL) in survivors, particularly in regions where data remain limited. Methods: This study included burn survivors treated between January 2022 and December 2023 in the Department of Plastic Surgery and Reconstructive Microsurgery of the Emergency Clinical Hospital \u201cBagdasar-Arseni,\u201d Bucharest, Romania. Patients who survived hospitalization and follow-up were invited to complete a Romanian-adapted version of the Burn Specific Health Scale-Brief (BSHS-B). Demographic and clinical data were collected from medical records, including burn type, total body surface area (TBSA), burn depth, burn localization, and access to rehabilitation services. Statistical analysis included descriptive methods, chi-square tests, t-tests, Kendall\u2019s tau-b, Cramer\u2019s V, Cronbach\u2019s alpha, and exploratory factor analysis. Results: Thirty-eight patients were included. Most burns were thermal (94.74%), while burns involving &lt;10% TBSA were most frequent (60.53%). Functional outcomes were generally favorable, with most patients reporting no difficulty in basic daily activities such as bathing, dressing, and writing. However, fine motor activities and return to previous work were more frequently affected. Emotional recovery appeared less complete, with persistent mild-to-moderate loneliness, sadness, and emotional distress reported by many participants. Women reported higher levels of loneliness (p = 0.015), while third-degree burns were associated with more frequent depressive symptoms (p = 0.008). Depressive symptoms were also significantly associated with functional limitations (such as getting dressed, p = 0.002) and work impairment (p &lt; 0.001). The adapted functional and emotional subscales showed excellent internal consistency. Conclusions: Post-burn recovery extends beyond physical healing. Although most patients regained functional independence, emotional distress and occupational difficulties often persisted. These findings support the need for multidisciplinary long-term burn care integrating physical rehabilitation, psychological screening, and psychosocial support.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/diseases14060212","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,11]],"date-time":"2026-06-11T12:14:58Z","timestamp":1781180098000},"page":"212","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Functional Recovery and Emotional Burden After Burn Injury: A Quality of Life Assessment in Romanian Burn Survivors"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Andreea","family":"Ungureanu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Doctoral School, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 8 Eroii Sanitari Boulevard., 050474 Bucharest, Romania"},{"name":"Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 8 Eroii Sanitari Boulevard., 050474 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8242-8809","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maria-Cristina","family":"Marinescu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Discipline of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 8 Eroii Sanitari Boulevard., 050474 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Adriana-Nicoleta","family":"Trandafir","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, \u2018Carol Davila\u2019 Central Military Emergency Hospital, 88 Mircea Vulc\u0103nescu Street, 10825 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Valeria","family":"Coviltir","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 8 Eroii Sanitari Boulevard., 050474 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8167-4300","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carmen","family":"Giuglea","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 8 Eroii Sanitari Boulevard., 050474 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3151-5878","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Silviu-Adrian","family":"Marinescu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 8 Eroii Sanitari Boulevard., 050474 Bucharest, Romania"},{"name":"Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, \u2018Bagdasar-Arseni\u2019 Emergency Hospital, 12 Berceni Road, 041915 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,11]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"(2026, June 02). 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