Aesthetic Perception and Its Relationship to Body Image Among a Recovering From Burn Injuries

This study aims to examine aesthetic perception and body image among burn survivors and to analyze the relationship between these two variables. Specifically, the research seeks to identify the level of aesthetic perception in burn survivors, evaluate their body image, determine the correlation between aesthetic perception and body image, and examine whether statistically significant differences exist in this relationship according to gender. The study sample consisted of 206 burn survivors selected randomly, including 98 males (48%) and 108 females (52%). To achieve the objectives of the research, the researcher developed two measurement instruments: an aesthetic perception scale and a body image scale. The aesthetic perception scale consisted of 30 items with response alternatives ranging from “always” to “never,” with different weights assigned to positive and negative items. The body image scale was also constructed specifically for burn survivors based on previous literature and expert consultations to ensure its suitability for the Iraqi context.
The results showed that the mean score of aesthetic perception among the participants was 102.15 with a standard deviation of 7.62. When compared with the hypothetical mean of 90 using a one-sample t-test, the calculated t-value (22.884) was greater than the tabulated value (1.96) at a significance level of 0.05, indicating a statistically significant level of aesthetic perception among burn survivors. In contrast, the body image scale results revealed a mean score of 61.65 with a standard deviation of 15.16. The calculated t-value (-6.953) exceeded the tabulated value (1.96), indicating significant differences compared to the hypothetical mean of 69. Furthermore, the Pearson correlation coefficient was used to examine the relationship between aesthetic perception and body image, and the calculated t-value (1.7410) was lower than the tabulated value (1.96), suggesting that the correlation between the two variables was not statistically significant.
Additionally, gender differences in the relationship between aesthetic perception and body image were examined. The correlation coefficient for males was 0.008 and for females was 0.005, with Fisher’s value calculated at 0.0354, which is lower than the tabulated value (1.96) at a significance level of 0.05. These findings indicate that there are no statistically significant differences between males and females regarding the relationship between aesthetic perception and body image among burn survivors.