Sexual activity and romantic relationships after burn injury: A Life Impact Burn Recovery Evaluation (LIBRE) study

•No differences in romantic relationship status were found between adult burn survivors and the general U.S. population.•Adult burn survivors were more likely to report being sexually active than a sample of the general U.S. population.•Adults with hand burns were more likely to report being sexually active and in a romantic relationship. Engaging in healthy sexual activity and romantic relationships are important but often neglected areas of post-burn rehabilitation. The degree to which persons with burn injuries engage in sexual activity and romantic relationships is not well understood. This study examined demographic and clinical characteristics predicting engagement in sexual activity and romantic relationships in a sample of adult burn survivors compared to a general United States sample. Data for the adult burn survivor sample were from 601 adult burn survivors who participated in field-testing for the calibration of the Life Impact Burn Recovery Evaluation (LIBRE) Profile, a burn-specific instrument assessing social participation on six scales including sexual activity and romantic relationships. Comparison data were obtained from a general population sample of 2000 adults through sample matching. Demographic predictors of sexual activity and romantic relationship status were examined in each sample using modified Poisson regression analyses. Clinical predictors of engaging in sexual activity and romantic relationships were also examined in the LIBRE sample. Participants were slightly more likely to report being sexually active in the adult burn survivor sample than in the general sample (65% vs. 57%, p