title: Relations between family environment and adjustment outcomes in young adults with spina bifida.
abstract: Thirty-two young adults with spina bifida completed a questionnaire (Family Environment Scale) assessing their perceptions of family social environment while growing up. Additionally, subjects responded to a structured interview addressing their current employment status, residential situation, level of community mobility, and extent of social activity. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to assess the relation between family environment and adjustment as a young adult. With this limited sample, results indicated that perceived family environment explained variance in employment, community mobility, and social activity as an adult, even beyond that explained by lesion level and intelligence. Regression coefficients showed positive relations between perceived family encouragement of independence and achievement and young adult outcomes. In contrast, perceived moral/religious emphasis of the family and degree of family involvement with intellectual/cultural activities evidenced negative relations with the measures of young adult adjustment.
authors.affiliation: Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Family Support Program, Hartford 06106, USA.
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Loomis
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Javornisky
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Monahan
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Burke
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lindsay
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D004651:Employment; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012917:Social Adjustment; D012919:Social Behavior; D012944:Social Support; D016135:Spinal Dysraphism / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States