title: Parents' perception about child's height and psychopathology in community children with relatively short stature.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study investigated the relationship between height and psychopathology in community children with relatively short stature according to the parents' reports. Also, the matter of parental concern about child's height was explored.
  
  
  METHODS
  The child behavior checklist (CBCL), the Brief Encounter Psychosocial Instrument (BEPSI), and the child-health questionnaire-parent form 50 (CHQ-PF50) were administered to 423 parents (from elementary and middle school children's) in Gangnam, South Korea. Subjects were divided into three groups; (1) relatively short (n=30), (2) average stature (n=131), (3) relatively tall (n=153). CBCL, BEPSI, and CHQ-PF50 scores were compared among three groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no significant differences in psychosocial burden associated with relatively short stature measured by Korean version of the BEPSI and Korean version of the CBCL scores among three groups. But general health perception score of relatively short was significantly lower than that of nonshort on the CHQ-PF50. Also, they were more used complementary medicines, milk and growth hormone compared to the nonshort. The parents' expected height of their children was 180.6±3.5 cm for boys and 166.7±3.5 cm for girls. This is respectively 90 percentile and 75-90 percentile for the Korean standard adult height.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study shows that in Korea, Parents tended to regard relatively short children as having health problems. Also, the parental expectation for their child's attainable height is unrealistically tall, mostly due to lack of correct medical information.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Kangwon National University School of Medicine, Chuncheon, Korea.
authors.forename: Jun-Won
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Eulji General Hospital, Eulji University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Ji-Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Seo
keywords: Child behavior; Psychopathology; Short stature