Psychological Adjustment of Children With Sickle Cell Disease Family Functioning and Coping

• Published in: Rehabilitation psychology Vol. 49; no. 3; pp. 224 - 232
• Main Authors: Lutz, Meredith J, Barakat, Lamia P, Smith-Whitley, Kim, Ohene-Frempong, Kwaku
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Educational Publishing Foundation 01-08-2004
• Subjects: Childhood Development; Coping Behavior; Emotional Adjustment; Family; Human; Severity (Disorders); Sickle Cell Disease; Stress
• ISSN: 0090-5550; 1939-1544
• DOI: 10.1037/0090-5550.49.3.224

Objective:
Using a risk and resistance model (
J. L. Wallander, J. W. Varni, L. Babani, H. T. Banis, & K. T. Wilcox, 1989
) to determine the effects of coping style and family functioning on children's adjustment to sickle cell disease (SCD).
Participants:
A sample of 73 caregivers and 23 children (ages birth to 18 years) admitted to a hematology acute care unit for pain or fever associated with SCD.
Setting:
A children's hospital on the East Coast of the United States.
Outcome Measures:
Disability stress, disease severity, child and parent coping, family functioning, and child adjustment were assessed with standard paper-and-pencil measures.
Results:
Results provide partial support for
J. L. Wallander et al.'s (1989)
risk-resistance model. Disability stress did not mediate the relation between disease severity and child adjustment, and severity of medical condition and medical stress did not predict adjustment. Child gender and child age predicted family functioning and child adjustment to SCD. Child or parent coping strategies did not moderate the association of disability stress and child adjustment.
Conclusions:
Individuals working with patients should be aware of other factors that may affect child outcome above disease severity; specifically, concerns of boys and girls with SCD and their caregivers should be assessed.