Peer Relationship Problems in Children with Tourette's Disorder or Diabetes Mellitus

• Published in: Journal of child psychology and psychiatry Vol. 39; no. 5; pp. 663 - 668
• Main Authors: Bawden, Harry N., Stokes, Aidan, Camfield, Carol S., Camfield, Peter R., Salisbury, Sonia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Cambridge University Press 01.07.1998; Blackwell; Pergamon Press; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: Adolescent; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child clinical studies; Child of Impaired Parents - psychology; Child psychology; Children; Diabetes; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 - diagnosis; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 - psychology; Female; Humans; Interpersonal Relations; Male; Medical sciences; Neurological disorders; Organic mental disorders. Neuropsychology; Parent-Child Relations; Parents - psychology; Peer Group; Peer relationships; Peers; Personality Assessment; Problems; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Risk Factors; Self Concept; Social Behavior; Tourette Syndrome - diagnosis; Tourette Syndrome - psychology; Tourette's syndrome; peer relationships; Diabetes; Tourette's disorder; intelligence; Endocrinopathy; Human; Social environment; Nervous system diseases; Peer relation; Diabetes mellitus; Personality; Preadolescent; Cerebral disorder; School age; Social interaction; Central nervous system disease; Adolescent; Family environment; Gilles de la Tourette syndrome; Degenerative disease; Social aptitude; Self esteem; Psychopathology; Child; Social behavior disorder; Comparative study
• ISSN: 0021-9630; 1469-7610
• DOI: 10.1017/S0021963098002480

Peer relationships, social skills, self-esteem, parental psychopathology, and family functioning of children with Tourette's disorder and a chronic disease control group of children with diabetes mellitus were compared. Children with Tourette's disorder had poorer peer relationships than their classmates and were more likely to have extreme scores reflecting increased risk for peer relationship problems than children with diabetes mellitus, but did not report self-esteem problems or social skills deficits. Measures of peer relationships were not related to severity or duration of tics. Children with Tourette's disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder were at increased risk for poor peer relationships. The psychosocial problems of children with Tourette's disorder do not appear to be the generic result of having a chronic disease.