title: [Achondroplasia: a pilot study on the psychosocial and medical features of a sample in Puerto Rico].
abstract: This study explores the psychological wellbeing of twenty-two (n = 22) adults with achondroplasia. The sample was composed of seven (n = 7) males and fifteen (n = 15) females between the ages of 21 and 75 (mean age = 39.6). Each individual completed four self-administered questionnaires: the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-l), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), and Derogatis Symptom Check-list-90-Revisited (SCL-90-R). They also filled out a socio-demographic questionnaire. We found that 31.8% of the sample reported at least one comorbid condition such as, hypertension, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, scoliosis, thyroid problems, neuropathy, psoriasis, gastritis and/or sleep apnea; 32% reported mild to severe depressive symp- toms; 55% reported mild to severe symptoms associated to anxiety and 18% reported mild to severe symptoms associated with hopelessness; 22.7% reported mild to severe symptoms in at least one of the sub-scales in Derogatis Symptom Checklist-90-Revisited (SCL-90-R) particularly the obsessive-compulsive, paranoid and depressive subscales. Chi Square correlations (X2) were made to observe if there was interdependence between the socio-demographic variables and the administered tests. In general, no significant correlations were found between BDI-Il, BAI, BHS, SCL-90-R and civil status, gender, income and age. However, a significant correlation was found between age and the somatization sub-scale of the SCL-90-R (rs = 0.510, p < 0.05). Our findings suggest that this particular sample is at risk for developing psycho-medical conditions. There is a marked lack of research in Puerto Rico associated to achondroplasia. The development of preventive and cultural sensitive interventions is suggested in order to protect and treat individuals with the condition.
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rodriguez-Gomez
authors.forename: Ariadna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aldarondo
authors.forename: Frances
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vidot
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Quiñones
authors.forename: Maily
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rivera
authors.forename: Eledy
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cintrón
authors.forename: Natalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gonzilez
authors.forename: Rodolfo F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Trujillo
authors.forename: Nanet M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Lopez-Cordova
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Colón
mesh_terms: D000130:Achondroplasia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D001847:Bone Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011647:Puerto Rico / Q000453:epidemiology; D011788:Quality of Life; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult