title: The effect of leukemia and its treatment on self-esteem of school-age children.
abstract: The purpose of this research was to investigate the self-esteem of school-age children with leukemia in a clinic setting and to compare it to the self-esteem of healthy children. Thirteen chronically ill children, 6 to 11 years old, who were patients at a midwestern clinic and children's hospital, and 50 school-age children without chronic illness participated in the study. Children were administered the Kinetic Family Drawing-Revised (Spinetta, McLaren, Fox, & Sparta, 1981) to measure their self-image in relation to their family. Children's self-esteem was measured by the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (SEI) (Coopersmith, 1981). The results indicated that children with leukemia did not differ in self-esteem from healthy children except on one subscale of the SEI. However, children with and without leukemia did differ on components of the self-image measure, a dimension of self-esteem. Implications of the findings are discussed.
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Mullis
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Mullis
authors.forename: N F
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Kerchoff
mesh_terms: D000339:Affect; D000367:Age Factors; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003142:Communication; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007938:Leukemia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000451:nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D010371:Pediatric Nursing / Q000379:methods; D010379:Peer Group; D002666:Psychology, Child; D012649:Self Concept