Psychological adjustment to pediatric physical disorders: a meta-analytic review.
Reviewed 87 studies of children's adjustment to physical disorders in a meta-analysis. Results indicate (a) children with such disorders show increased risk for overall adjustment problems, internalizing and externalizing symptoms; (b) risk was greatest in studies making comparisons to norms rather than to study controls; (c) risk varied by informant (teacher, mental health professional, parent), and by degree of matching with controls; (d) the self-concept of children with physical disorders across all studies appears significant for studies with careful matching or comparisons with norms; (e) there are interdisease differences, but the number of studies within individual disorders, with a few exceptions, are quite small. The need for improved methodology is discussed.
Lavigne
J V
JV
Department of Child Psychiatry, Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, Illinois 60614.
Faier-Routman
J
J
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic; D012649:Self Concept