title: Long-term psychosocial characteristics of patients treated for idiopathic scoliosis.
abstract: Psychosocial characteristics of 95 female patients treated with Milwaukee bracing for idiopathic scoliosis were examined using a battery of five psychosocial scales. Sixty-five patients treated with bracing alone and 30 patients who also underwent arthrodesis for curve progression were compared with 49 age-matched female controls. At an average follow-up of 7 years, no differences in depression or health locus of control existed. Significant perceptions of discrimination and a lower satisfaction of overall appearance was recalled during the treatment phase. By final follow-up, there was no longer any difference between the patients and controls in these areas. Significantly, differences in body-image scores persisted at follow-up. Operative patients had a more negative body image of the axial skeleton in comparison with the braced and control groups. We conclude that transient psychological effects are often present during treatment, and a lower body image may persist for several years in surgical patients.
authors.affiliation: University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City 52242, USA.
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Noonan
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Dolan
authors.forename: W C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Jacobson
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Weinstein
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001174:Arthrodesis; D001828:Body Image; D001915:Braces; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011287:Prejudice; D011594:Psychometrics; D012600:Scoliosis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy