Family adaptation to chronic childhood illness

• Main Author: Spence, Linda Jan
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 01.01.1992
• Subjects: Children & youth; Chronic illnesses; Clinical psychology; Developmental psychology; Nursing; Psychotherapy
• ISBN: 9798207633824

The process of family adaptation to chronic childhood illness was investigated after the diagnostic period. Participants were 28 families of school age children with asthma, congenital heart disease, cystic fibrosis, or insulin dependent diabetes mellitus and 17 matched comparison families with healthy children. Using an adaptation of the FAAR Model to conceptualize demands, resources, perception of demands, coping, and family functioning, data was collected from the parents, target children, and siblings. Families with chronically ill children reported a greater number of positive life events, total life events, and uplifts, with negative life events approaching significance. Demands were perceived by the chronic illness group as being more intense. The families with chronically ill children reported a greater number and broader range of coping responses than the comparison families and scored significantly higher on family cohesion and religious emphasis. The conceptual model predicted a significant amount of the variance in perception of demands, coping, and the nine dimensions of family functioning. Of particular interest was the stronger predictive value of uplifts intensity for coping and adaptive dimensions of family functioning relative to the intensity of life events and hassles. These findings suggest that families with chronically ill children have strengths in coping skills and family functioning that facilitate their adaptation to the high number and intensity of demands they face. Uplifts, which are infrequently studied, appear to play an important role in this process. Greater knowledge of effective family adaptation to chronic childhood illness would contribute to the identification of precursors of maladaptation and preventive intervention strategies.