Family resources as resistance factors for psychological maladjustment in chronically ill and handicapped children. Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • The hypothesis that their psychological adjustment is related in part to resources present in their families was investigated in 153 children, age 4-16, who had one of five chronic physical disorders: juvenile diabetes, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, chronic obesity, spina bifida, or cerebral palsy. Their mothers completed standardized psychometric instruments to measure specific dimensions of family psychological and utilitarian resources and of child adjustment. Variation in children's psychological adjustment was related both to their psychological and utilitarian family resources. Psychological family resources contributed uniquely to the prediction of adjustment beyond that provided by utilitarian family resources. These results are discussed as having implications for the identification of chronically ill and handicapped children at risk for adjustment difficulties.

published proceedings

  • J Pediatr Psychol

author list (cited authors)

  • Wallander, J. L., Varni, J. W., Babani, L., Banis, H. T., & Wilcox, K. T.

citation count

  • 243

complete list of authors

  • Wallander, JL||Varni, JW||Babani, L||Banis, HT||Wilcox, KT

publication date

  • June 1989