Emotional impact in beta-thalassaemia major children following cognitive-behavioural family therapy and quality of life of caregiving mothers.
BACKGROUND
Cognitive-Behavioural Family Therapy (CBFT) can be an effective psychological approach for children with beta-thalassaemia major, increasing compliance to treatment, lessening the emotional burden of disease, and improving the quality of life of caregivers.


METHODS
Twenty-eight beta-thalassaemic major children that followed CBFT for one year were compared with twenty-eight age-matched healthy children, focusing particularly on behavioural, mood, and temperamental characteristics as well as compliance with chelation, assessed using the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL), Children's Depression Inventory (CDI), Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC), and Emotionality, Activity, Sociability and Shyness Scale (EAS). We also monitored the quality of life of caregiving mothers using the World Health Organization Quality Of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire. Data were analysed with non-parametric standard descriptive statistics.


RESULTS
90% of beta-Thalassaemic children showed good compliance with chelation therapy; however they had significantly increased somatic complains, physical symptoms and separation panic. Moreover, temperamental assessment revealed high emotionality and poor sociability in treated thalassaemic children and in their mothers. Physical and psychological domains concerning individual's overall perception of quality of life resulted impaired in mothers of beta-thalassaemic children.


CONCLUSIONS
CBFT can be a valid tool to increase the compliance with chelation therapy in beta-thalassaemic children; however, treated children continue to show an important emotional burden; moreover, CBFT therapy seems not to have any positive impact on the quality of life of caregiving mothers, who may therefore need additional psychological support.
Mazzone
Luigi
L
Division of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, Department of Pediatrics, University of Catania, Catania, Italy. gigimazzone@yahoo.it.
Battaglia
Laura
L
Andreozzi
Francesca
F
Romeo
Maria Antonietta
MA
Mazzone
Domenico
D