title: Psychosocial correlates of incidence of attacks in children with Familial Mediterranean Fever.
abstract: This study tested the relationship between psychosocial factors and incidence of Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) attacks. Forty-five children with FMF were studied retrospectively. Parents assessed their child's hostility, perceived-control, illness-behavior encouragement (IBE), family dysfunction, and reported number of attacks during the last 12 months. Hostility was positively correlated with number of attacks, especially in children below age 10 and in girls. Family dysfunction was positively correlated with attacks in girls and in children at or above age 10. IBE was inversely correlated with attacks in older children. In children below age 10, number of siblings was positively correlated with attacks, and negatively correlated with attacks in the older group. Psychosocial factors explained 27% of the variability in attacks, after controlling for age and number of siblings, with hostility remaining the only significant predictor of attacks. These findings, if replicated in a prospective study, may guide interventions for preventing FMF attacks.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology of Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University, Beer-Sheva, Israel. yorig@bgumail.bgu.ac.il
authors.forename: Yori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gidron
authors.forename: Matityahu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Berkovitch
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Press
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D017677:Age Distribution; D000374:Aggression; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D010505:Familial Mediterranean Fever / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D006261:Headache / Q000209:etiology; D006791:Hostility; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007557:Israel; D008297:Male; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors