Does illness foster dependency? A study of epileptic and diabetic children.
The development of inappropriate dependency was investigated among two comparable groups of children, one with newly diagnosed epilepsy or diabetes, the other with chronic epilepsy or diabetes. The two groups of epileptic children were significantly more dependent than the two diabetic groups, and than children in the general population. Psychiatric disturbance was significantly more common among the epileptic children, and possibly is a factor in their inappropriate dependency. Specific advice and counselling for the parents is likely to help promote the children's sense of self-esteem and independence.
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003858:Dependency, Psychological; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000523:psychology*; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D010551:Personality; D012737:Sex Factors; D012803:Sick Role