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Psychosocial adjustment in children and adolescents with chronic illness

Psychosocial adjustment in children and adolescents with chronic illness
Psychosocial adjustment in children and adolescents with chronic illness

This thesis contains a multi-site, cross-sectional study of young people with either asthma, diabetes mellitus, cystic fibrosis or epilepsy and their parents.

Findings suggest that both categorical and non-categorical parameters are implicated in adjustment outcomes. However, the predictive utility of these parameters differed considerably by informant. Whereas parameters were highly instrumental in parent report of adjustment, this was not the case for child report. Nonetheless, parameters were related to child and parental management of chronic illness and suggested that non-categorical parameters were more influential. The risk resistance framework gained partial support, receiving confirmation of conceptual structure for selected pathways. However, the risk resistance moderating mechanism was not validated. Friendship intimacy and teacher report of peer relations were positively associated, although only increases in school adjustment, as reported by teachers were related to a decline in child report of overall and behavioural difficulties. In addition, lower levels of functioning were linked to decreases in school adjustment and to a lesser and non-significant degree to peer relations. Level of functioning was not however, related to friendship properties such as, play/association or intimacy. While emotional difficulties and level of functioning showed few effects in terms of the quality and properties of children's friendships, peer relations and school adjustment, higher levels of emotional difficulty and low functioning together were linked to less favourable school adjustment.

To some extent, findings are consistent with previous research in that the experience of chronic illness for young people is more closely associated with emotional than behavioural difficulties. Other findings are new and require further studies to clarify the role of condition-related parameters and assess the impact of children's functional status on social functioning in relation to psychosocial adjustment.

University of Southampton
Weston, Christine Anne
10dc20bb-4bfd-4c93-82d7-9a27fff25d61
Weston, Christine Anne
10dc20bb-4bfd-4c93-82d7-9a27fff25d61

Weston, Christine Anne (2000) Psychosocial adjustment in children and adolescents with chronic illness. University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.

Record type: Thesis (Doctoral)

Abstract

This thesis contains a multi-site, cross-sectional study of young people with either asthma, diabetes mellitus, cystic fibrosis or epilepsy and their parents.

Findings suggest that both categorical and non-categorical parameters are implicated in adjustment outcomes. However, the predictive utility of these parameters differed considerably by informant. Whereas parameters were highly instrumental in parent report of adjustment, this was not the case for child report. Nonetheless, parameters were related to child and parental management of chronic illness and suggested that non-categorical parameters were more influential. The risk resistance framework gained partial support, receiving confirmation of conceptual structure for selected pathways. However, the risk resistance moderating mechanism was not validated. Friendship intimacy and teacher report of peer relations were positively associated, although only increases in school adjustment, as reported by teachers were related to a decline in child report of overall and behavioural difficulties. In addition, lower levels of functioning were linked to decreases in school adjustment and to a lesser and non-significant degree to peer relations. Level of functioning was not however, related to friendship properties such as, play/association or intimacy. While emotional difficulties and level of functioning showed few effects in terms of the quality and properties of children's friendships, peer relations and school adjustment, higher levels of emotional difficulty and low functioning together were linked to less favourable school adjustment.

To some extent, findings are consistent with previous research in that the experience of chronic illness for young people is more closely associated with emotional than behavioural difficulties. Other findings are new and require further studies to clarify the role of condition-related parameters and assess the impact of children's functional status on social functioning in relation to psychosocial adjustment.

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Published date: 2000

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 464273
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/464273
PURE UUID: 07881117-7a22-4311-b3b3-34daa9512a1a

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Date deposited: 04 Jul 2022 21:52
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 19:22

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Author: Christine Anne Weston

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