title: Psychosocial and behavioral outcomes in children with sickle cell disease and their healthy siblings.
abstract: The current study aims to compare positive and negative measures of psychosocial functioning among children with sickle cell disease (SCD) and their healthy siblings. Participants were 41 African-American children with SCD, 97 healthy siblings, and their primary caregivers. Primary caregivers completed self-report questionnaires assessing child behavioral problems, while children with SCD and siblings completed self-report questionnaires assessing coping, self-efficacy, and perceived social support. No significant differences were noted between children with SCD and their siblings on all measures. Both groups reported self-efficacy and perceived social support within the normative range, and endorsed significantly greater use of Positive/Approach coping. In general, both groups of children do not have clinically significant behavioral problems. However, secondary exploratory analyses identified that a greater percentage of children from both groups scored above the established clinical cutoff on the behavioral summary scores. Number of visits to the emergency room was related to behavioral problems in children with SCD. While previous reports have been mixed in their findings that children with SCD are at greater risk for psychosocial and other behavioral problems, the current report finds that children with SCD and their healthy siblings endorse positive psychosocial functioning and as a group do not have clinically significant behavioral problems. Nonetheless, ongoing psychosocial evaluation for children receiving treatment for SCD is vital.
authors.affiliation: Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90087, USA. jgold@chla.usc.edu
authors.forename: Jeffrey I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Gold
authors.forename: Nicole E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Mahrer
authors.forename: Marsha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Treadwell
authors.forename: Lina
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Weissman
authors.forename: Elliott
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vichinsky
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000755:Anemia, Sickle Cell / Q000523:psychology*; D001290:Attitude; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior; D017281:Cost of Illness; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012016:Reference Values; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012647:Self-Assessment; D035781:Siblings; D012917:Social Adjustment; D012944:Social Support
references.citation: J Behav Med. 2002 Jun;25(3):269-83
references.pmid: 12055777
references.citation: Br J Haematol. 2005 Jun;129(6):723-9
references.pmid: 15952997
references.citation: Semin Hematol. 2001 Jan;38(1 Suppl 1):77-84
references.pmid: 11206966
references.citation: J Pediatr Hematol Oncol. 2004 Oct;26(10):642-648
references.pmid: 27811605
references.citation: J Pediatr Psychol. 1988 Dec;13(4):555-74
references.pmid: 3216277
references.citation: J Pediatr Psychol. 2008 Oct;33(9):1046-61; discussion 1062-4
references.pmid: 17905801
references.citation: J Pediatr Hematol Oncol. 2007 Nov;29(11):752-60
references.pmid: 17984693
references.citation: J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1991 Jan;30(1):124-34
references.pmid: 2005047
references.citation: J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1993 May;32(3):545-53
references.pmid: 8496118
references.citation: J Pediatr Psychol. 1991 Aug;16(4):411-21
references.pmid: 1941423
references.citation: JAMA. 1987 Sep 4;258(9):1205-9
references.pmid: 3626004
references.citation: J Health Soc Policy. 1994;5(3-4):123-40
references.pmid: 10138755
references.citation: Acad Med. 1991 Dec;66(12):748-9
references.pmid: 1750953
references.citation: J Pediatr Psychol. 1991 Oct;16(5):643-63
references.pmid: 1744811
references.citation: Psychol Assess. 2006 Sep;18(3):313-23
references.pmid: 16953734
references.citation: Psychol Rep. 1997 Aug;81(1):27-34
references.pmid: 9293191
references.citation: Child Care Health Dev. 2008 Jul;34(4):491-502
references.pmid: 18485027
references.citation: J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1994 Sep;33(7):1017-25
references.pmid: 7632200
references.citation: N Engl J Med. 1991 Jul 4;325(1):11-6
references.pmid: 1710777
references.citation: J Pediatr Psychol. 1993 Oct;18(5):549-59
references.pmid: 8295079
references.citation: Am J Orthopsychiatry. 1988 Apr;58(2):211-220
references.pmid: 3369541
references.citation: Child Care Health Dev. 2006 Jan;32(1):19-31
references.pmid: 16398788
references.citation: J Pediatr Psychol. 2002 Apr-May;27(3):215-26
references.pmid: 11909929
references.citation: Br J Clin Psychol. 1996 Sep;35(3):439-50
references.pmid: 8889085
references.citation: J Consult Clin Psychol. 1994 Aug;62(4):856-6
references.pmid: 7962891
references.citation: J Pediatr Psychol. 2006 Oct;31(9):956-66
references.pmid: 16514051
references.citation: Am J Dis Child. 1989 Jun;143(6):690-6
references.pmid: 2729214