The lived experience of social participation among facial burn survivors in Saudi Arabia: A narrative inquiry

Aldosari, Sumayyah 2026. The lived experience of social participation among facial burn survivors in Saudi Arabia: A narrative inquiry. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

Background: Burn injuries are a significant global health concern, yet research examining survivors' social experiences remains predominantly quantitative, Western-focused, and oriented toward measuring participation as an outcome rather than understanding it as a lived process. This gap is particularly acute in Saudi Arabia, where collectivist social values, gendered appearance norms, and an evolving disability policy landscape shape participation in ways not captured by research conducted elsewhere. Aim: This study sought to understand how survivors of facial burn injuries in Saudi Arabia experience social participation and what factors facilitate or restrict their reintegration across key life domains. Design: A qualitative narrative inquiry informed by Clandinin and Connelly's three-dimensional framework was adopted. Eight adults with facial burn injuries were recruited from two hospitals in Riyadh. Data were generated through in-depth narrative interviews conducted in Arabic. Each narrative was analysed individually before resonant threads were identified across accounts. Findings: Social participation was not a linear rehabilitative outcome but a socially mediated and culturally situated process, continually renegotiated in response to bodily realities, public attitudes toward visible difference, and access to supportive or exclusionary environments. Prolonged isolation was driven by intersecting personal, social, and environmental influences rather than injury severity alone. Family relationships functioned as both anchors of support and sources of tension. Faith, meaningful occupation, and evolving social strategies facilitated reconnection, while institutional barriers and policy gaps constrained access to employment and education despite legislative protections. Conclusion: Interpreting findings through an integrated lens of the Social Model of Disability and Occupational Justice concept shifted analysis from impairment-focused explanations toward structural, institutional, and cultural determinants of participation. The study contributes a triadic peer mentorship model (involving experienced survivors, newer survivors, and healthcare professionals), advances narrative inquiry and disability theory within non-Western contexts, and offers implications for practice, policy, and public awareness in Saudi Arabia.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Schools > Healthcare Sciences
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	22 September 2026
Last Modified:	24 Sep 2026 07:45
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/189752

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